Predictors of low back pain in nursing home workers after implementation of a safe resident handling programme

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Occup Environ Med
• Personal Author:
  Gold, Judith E ; Punnett, Laura ; Gore, Rebecca J
• Corporate Authors:
  ProCare Research Team
• Description:
  Objectives
  
  Healthcare workers have high rates of low back pain (LBP) related to handling patients. A large chain of nursing homes experienced reduced biomechanical load, compensation claims and costs following implementation of a safe resident handling programme (SRHP). The aim of this study was to examine whether LBP similarly declined and whether it was associated with relevant self-reported occupational exposures or personal health factors.
  
  Methods
  
  Worker surveys were conducted on multiple occasions beginning with the week of first SRHP introduction (baseline). In each survey, the outcome was LBP during the prior 3 months with at least mild severity during the past week. Robust Poisson multivariable regression models were constructed to examine correlates of LBP cross-sectionally at 2 years (F3) and longitudinally at 5–6 years (F5) post-SRHP implementation among workers also in at least one prior survey.
  
  Results
  
  LBP prevalence declined minimally between baseline and F3. The prevalence was 37% at F3 and cumulative incidence to F5 was 22%. LBP prevalence at F3 was positively associated with combined physical exposures, psychological job demands and prior back injury, while frequent lift device usage and ‘intense’ aerobic exercise frequency were protective. At F5, the multivariable model included frequent lift usage at F3 (relative risk (RR) 0.39 (0.18 to 0.84)) and F5 work–family imbalance (RR=1.82 (1.12 to 2.98)).
  
  Conclusions
  
  In this observational study, resident lifting device usage predicted reduced LBP in nursing home workers. Other physical and psychosocial demands of nursing home work also contributed, while frequent intense aerobic exercise appeared to reduce LBP risk.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Female Follow-Up Studies Humans Low Back Pain Male Massachusetts Middle Aged Moving And Lifting Patients Multivariate Analysis Nursing Homes Nursing Staff Occupational Diseases Prevalence Risk Factors Safety Management Surveys And Questionnaires Time Factors

  More +
• Source:
  Occup Environ Med. 74(6):389-395
• Pubmed ID:
  27919063
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5860804
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U19 OH008857/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U19OH008857/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; U19OH008857/ACL HHS/ACL HHS/
• Volume:
  74
• Issue:
  6
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:2ef71135a452c146b1bd87dfe78bcd0c8a06391aaa6820984f81edb4b7848fd2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/52650/cdc_52650_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 213.53 KB ]