Prevention of low back pain in female eldercare workers: randomized controlled work site trial
Lone Donbaek Jensen1, Henrik Gonge, Erik Jørs
1Department of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. lodj@ofir.dk
Study Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of an ergonomic and psychosocial intervention in reducing low back pain (LBP) among health care workers.
Summary Of Background Data:
LBP and injuries are reported frequently among health care workers worldwide. Improvement of person-transfer techniques is the preferred tool in the prevention of both. Although popular, to our knowledge, any effect has not been documented in controlled trials.
Methods:
Study participants were eldercare workers from 19 eldercare groups randomly assigned to the transfer technique, stress management, or reference arm. A total of 163 individuals (79% of the source population) participated in both baseline and follow-up after 2 years. Outcome was intra-individual change in rating of LBP during the past 3 and 12 months.
Results:
We found no difference in LBP in any of the intervention arms over the study period.
Conclusion:
The study showed no effect of a transfer technique or stress management program targeting LBP. Thus, there is a need for discussing other priorities in the prevention of LBP among health care workers.