Back pain as an occupational hazard

Abstract

Back pain has been the occupational hazard particularly selected for this project in view of its relatively high prevalence within the nursing profession. A research study was conducted at seven units, situated within three separate hospitals, to elicit information on the cause and degree of back pain/injury in the nursing profession in Malta. The cause of the problem was considered by examining existing workplace factors and nurses' knowledge on safe handling. A questionnaire was distributed to all 72 nurses working on the mentioned units, and this was completed and returned by two thirds of them. ·Non-participant observation of two nurses from each unit was also undertaken to find out about the techniques used for manual transferring of patients. The study revealed that lifting and handling of patients is by far the factor most commonly associated to the occurrence of back trouble. This study is only considered to have touched on the subject of back pain in nurses, and its limitations necessitate caution in drawing conclusions. Nonetheless, it can provide a stepping stone to more elaborate and extensive future research on the problem of back pain in the Maltese nursing workforce.