Effect of training and reminding ergonomic posture on prevention behavior for musculoskeletal disorders in nursing...

Nursing students are at risk of physical health problems from the beginning of their academic year due to the high workload and, according to previous studies, they often suffer from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). To investigate the effect of training and reminding ergonomic posture on MSD prevention behavior in nursing students.

The study used a randomized controlled trial. The study was conducted on seventh and eighth-semester nursing students at the Ramsar Nursing School in Iran, from September 2023 to January 2024. Participants in the intervention group received the ergonomic posture training and reminders, while the control group behaved according to their previous routine. Compliance with ergonomic posture behavior was assessed in both groups before and after one month. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.

The results showed that 10 (37%) males and 17 (63%) females were in the intervention group, and 11 (42.3%) males and 15 (57.7%) females were in the control group. The mean and standard deviation of compliance with MSD prevention behaviors were 154.96 ± 15.85 and 166.77 ± 16.7 in the intervention group before and after the intervention, respectively, and 158.8 ± 15.61 and 159.3 ± 14.6 in the control group before and after the intervention, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was found (P > 0.05).

The results of the study suggest that training and reminding ergonomic posture has no effect on prevention behavior for MSDs in nursing students. Therefore, in future studies, it is better to implement the current intervention over a longer period of time and with a modified type of training and reminding so that the improvement of the effect of the intervention can be observed.