A study on the relationship between stress and fatigue and the musculoskeletal symptoms experienced by Korean radiation workers

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between factors such as stress and fatigue on musculoskeletal symptoms experienced by radiologists who were working in clinics and hospitals. [Subjects and Methods] A survey was conducted for radiologists in clinics, general hospitals, and university hospitals across the nation in a 20-day period from July 10–31, 2011. [Results] According to the comprehensive results of this study, job stress, psychosocial stress, and fatigue felt by radiologists had impacts on musculoskeletal disease in multiple body regions. First, according to the analysis results, job stress was scored at 2.48 on average on a 4-point Likert scale, while psychosocial stress was scored at 2.27 on average on the same scale, which demonstrated that job stress had a slightly higher score than psychosocial stress. Second, job stress, psychosocial stress, and fatigue had impacts on musculoskeletal symptoms experienced by radiologists; the possibility of musculoskeletal symptoms on the neck area increased as the physical environment got worse, interpersonal conflicts got serious, stress from organizational system increased, and psychosocial stress went up. [Conclusion] We expect that the results of this study would be useful as basic data for systematic and efficient management of resources when taking preventative measures against musculoskeletal disease experienced by radiologists in the future.