[Ergonomic analysis of nursing activities in relation to the development of musculoskeletal disorders]

Musculoskeletal disorders are frequent among nurses. The literature so far focused mainly on back pain while paying little attention to disorders of the upper and lower limbs. Back pain is associated to patients' handling, but we know very little on the effect of awkward postures due to frequent bending and twisting and of work organisation which could also be involved in the genesis of these disorders. The pain localised to the musculoskeletal apparatus, including the presence of multiple complaints, was studied in a group of 70 nurses, with Estev and Vistat questionnaires, together with the possible association to work conditions. An ergonomic analysis of nursing activities (the postures and cognitive workload) was carried out to uncover associations to the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Results show an involvement of all musculoskeletal sites and a high prevalence of multiple pain complaints (54% of the nurses). Ergonomic analysis highlighted the adoption of awkward postures for prolonged times. Moreover, nurses are frequently interrupted and their working pace is under continuous time pressure. Cognitive workload and work organisation should also be addressed, besides the postures, as factors which could compromise the health of nurses and influence the quality of care.