Prevalence and Associated Factors of Ankle-Foot Pain Among Nurses Working in Surgical Units of Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals in Amhara Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022

BACKGROUND: Ankle-foot pain is a serious public health concern among nurses and has a significant impact on the quality of the health care service delivery system. However, little is known about the prevalence and factors associated with ankle-foot pain among nurses working in surgical units in Ethiopia. PURPOSE: The study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of ankle-foot pain among nurses working in surgical units of comprehensive specialized hospitals in Amhara regional state, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 409 nurses working in surgical units of comprehensive specialized hospitals, from May 15 to June 7, 2022. A simple random sampling technique was employed. Data were collected by five BSc nurses using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. The descriptive statistics and bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were computed. Finally, variables were declared as statistically significant at P < 0.05 using the odds ratio and 95% CI. RESULTS: The prevalence of ankle-foot pain among nurses working in surgical units was 51.8% (95% CI = 46.9–57.5). More than 10 years of working experience [AOR = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.35–8.92], working 48 or more hours per week [AOR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.27–6.00], prolonged standing [AOR = 5.72, 95% CI = 3.20–10.25], high physical job demand [AOR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.53–3.80], and low job control [AOR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.47–3.71] had statistically significant association with ankle-foot pain. CONCLUSION: This study found that ankle-foot pain was common among nurses working in surgical units. Having more years of work experience, working more hours per week, prolonged standing, high physical job demand, and low job control were statistically associated with ankle-foot pain.