Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Nurses Working in Hospitals of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in nurses working in the hospitals in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. METHODS: The prevalence of WMSDs since working and in the previous 12 months was evaluated using self-administrated modified musculoskeletal questionnaire based on North European questionnaire. In this cross-sectional study, 6674 nurses involved in the nursing profession were selected from 16 hospitals using the stratified cluster sampling method. RESULTS: < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the following risk factors were associated with the prevalence of WMSDs: working duration of ≥6 years; working in the Emergency Department, Department of Anesthesia, or Supply Room; night shift of more than once, working duration of >40 hrs per week; poor health status; and feeling of fatigue. Rest time of >10 min and no history of WMSDs were the protective factors of WMSDs. CONCLUSIONS: Shift and working/rest duration was closely related to WMSDs.