Factors affecting healthcare utilization for low back pain among nurses in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia, 2018: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate level and factors affecting healthcare utilization for low back pain (LBP) among nurses in Gondar town, Ethiopia. A healthcare-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2018. We included 422 nurses using stratified sampling technique. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 to identify factors associated with healthcare utilization. RESULTS: A total of 422 nurses with 100% response rate participated in this study. The majority, 54.8% (N = 277) were females. Mean age was 21.54 (SD ± 4.99) years. Of the 64% (N = 270) LBP sufferers, 25.4% (N = 107) [95% CI (21.1, 29.6)] had used healthcare services at least once in the previous 12 months. Sex [AOR: 1.82; 95% CI (1.03, 3.43)], educational level [AOR: 1.13; 95% CI (1.01, 3.40], perceived disability [AOR: 2.11; 95% CI (1.66, 3.20)], and perceived severity [AOR: 2.06; 95% CI (1.27, 3.51)] were associated factors. This study reveals that healthcare service utilization for low back pain was not common practices among nurses. Strategies that focus on nurses’ gender and educational level differences should be in place to promote care usage for low back pains.