Effect of an Ergonomics Educational Program on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nursing Staff Working in the Operating Room: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Nursing staff working in the operating room are exposed to risk factors that can cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related disabilities. The use of ergonomics principles can help with the prevention of MSDs. This study aimed to examine the effect of an ergonomics educational program on MSDs among nursing staff working in the operating room. Methods: In this pragmatic parallel group quasi-randomized controlled clinical trial, 74 nursing staff working in the operating rooms of two teaching hospitals participated. The hospitals were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group and all nursing staff working in the operating room of each hospital were invited to take part in this research. They were initially assessed for the prevalence and risk of MSDs by using the Nordic questionnaire and the rapid entire body assessment (REBA) checklist. The intervention group received the ergonomics educational program and were assessed in two-week intervals over a period of three months. At the end of the study, the risk and prevalence of MSDs were compared between the intervention and control groups. Results: Statistically significant differences were reported between the groups in terms of the prevalence and risk of MSDs. The overall risk of MSDs decreased in the intervention group after the educational program (p = 0.03). The reduction in the prevalence of MSDs in the different parts of the body in the intervention group was as follows: ankle (p = 0.005), hand/wrist (p = 0.041), low back (p = 0.000), the neck (p = 0.003), hip (p = 0.001) and shoulder (p = 0.043). Conclusion: The education of nursing staff about ergonomics can influence the prevalence and risk of MSDs. Therefore, it should be incorporated into the degree education and on-the-job training initiatives for nurses working in the operating theatre in order to reduce workplace injuries and associated absences, and increase the quality of care delivered by them. This clinical trial has been registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT2015081823677N1.