Back injuries among nurses – A comparison of the accident processes after a 10-year follow-up

A prospective dynamic-population-based study was conducted to investigate whether factors involved in the accident process preceding over-exertion back injuries among nursing personnel had changed compared with 10 years earlier.The study covers all reported occupational over-exertion back injuries due to accident among nurses in the hospitals of Stockholm County during the years 1992–1993 and 2002–2003. The assumption was that several factors and events interact in the accident process causing a back injury. Detailed information about the accident process was obtained for each injury by interviews with the injured person. During the two study periods, interviews were conducted with 130 and 132 nurses, respectively. In both studies, most accidents occurred during ordinary planned patient transfers, and the distributions of the type of patient transfer were very similar. Mostly, draw sheets and walking belts were used as transfer equipment, although in about half of the cases, the patients had both physical and psychological limitations, which restricted their cooperation in the transfer. In 2002–2003, the nurses were older and had longer experience of the specific task they were doing; fewer had been given instructions on how to perform the specific task; they were more stressed and rated their RPE higher compared with nurses in 1992–1993. In 2002–2003, the injury more often led to sick leave and to longer sick leave; furthermore, the nurses more often sought medical care and more often took analgesics compared with 10 years earlier. There were no relation between age and if the injury led to a sick-leave or not or the length of sick-leave.