Effectiveness of Interventions to Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders among District Hospital Nurses in Vietnam

Nurses are one of the population groups with the highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Preventive measures in Vietnamese hospitals on the job have not been proposed to study their effectiveness due to barriers related to the lack of knowledge about MSDs by health care administrators and the lack of human resources with expertise in MSD management in hospitals.

This study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of basic interventions (education, physical exercise) to prevent MSDs among district hospital nurses in Vietnam. Material and Methods. A quasi-experimental study was carried out before/after over a period of one year among two groups of nurses, one receiving the intervention (n = 162) and the other the control group (n = 128). The intervention includes 3 components: training on MSDs, ergonomics training, and instructions for physical exercise. The pre- and postintervention assessment tools included the Modified Nordic, Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Short-Form (Q-LES-Q-SF), and the Kessler Psychological Distress Questionnaire (K6). A generalized estimating equation analysis was performed to assess the difference between the two groups at two points in time (before and after the intervention) on some indicators (prevalence of MSDs in the last 12 months and 7 days, score for quality of life and psychological distress).

There was a significant difference of the test on the prevalence of MSDs in the last 7 days between the 2 groups before and after the intervention with the p value = 0.016. This difference occurred in 4 anatomical sites: neck, shoulder/upper arm, wrists/hand, and lower back, with p values being 0.013, 0.011, 0.038, and 0.009, respectively.

The intervention measures are probably effective in reducing the prevalence of MSDs at 4 anatomical sites in the last 7 days. More in-depth studies are needed with a combination of measures over a longer period of time to obtain stronger evidence of interventions.