Musculoskeletal disorders among nursing personnel in Korea

This study examines the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among nursing personnel in Korea. A self-reporting survey adapted from the Nordic questionnaires was used as the diagnostic tool. The survey was performed four times, once every three months for a year. The MSDs were defined using three criteria, based on the frequency, duration and pain intensity of the symptoms. The results showed that the 12-month prevalences of MSDs in at least one body site by criteria 1, 2 and 3 were 56.8%, 53.7% and 45.7%, respectively, and that the shoulder was the most susceptible to MSDs, followed by the knee, lower back, hand/wrist, neck, ankle/feet, finger, etc. The ward or unit in which the participants worked was the only statistically significant risk factor identified through the χ2 test. The prevalence of MSDs was the highest in the intensive care unit, and second in the surgical ward, while it was the lowest in the emergency room. The MSD prevalences in Korea were much lower than those in other countries such as Japan, the USA, Sweden, etc. This implies that when considering poor working conditions and low awareness of MSDs compared to more advanced countries, the incidence rate of MSDs may rapidly increase in Korea in the future.Relevance to industryNursing profession is one of the most physically demanding jobs in industries, which results in high prevalence of MSDs. For establishing preventative measures of MSDs, the status of MSDs should be investigated.