Overall studies showed that nursing activities conferred increased risk for , and were associated with back disorders regardless of nursing technique , personal characteristics , and non-work-related factors .
Patient h and ling appears to confer the highest risk , but other nursing duties are also associated with elevated risk , and confound dose – response assessment s related to patient h and ling alone .
A threshold of nursing activities below which the risk of back disorders is not elevated has not been established .
Abstract Background : Although non-specific low back pain ( LBP ) is known to be multifactorial , studies from across the globe have documented their higher prevalence in nurses .
This systematic review was conducted to ascertain whether this much-documented association constitutes a causal relationship , and whether there is a discernible threshold of exposures associated with this elevated risk .
Prospective cohort study of predictors of incident low back pain in nurses
Abstract Objective : To assess the impact of h and ling patients and indicators of individual susceptibility on risk of  low back pain in nurses . Design : Prospect i ve cohort study with follow up by repeated self administered question naires every three months over two years . Setting : NHS university hospitals trust . Subjects : 961 female nurses who had been free from low back pain for at least one month at the time of completing a baseline question naire .  Main outcome measures : Incidence of new low back pain during follow up and of pain leading to absence from work . Results : Of 838 women who provided data suitable for analysis , 322 ( 38 % ) developed low back pain during follow up ( mean 18.6 months ) , including 93 ( 11 % ) whose pain led to absence from work . The strongest predictor of new low back pain was earlier history of the symptom , and risk was particularly high if previous pain had lasted for over a month in total and had occurred within the 12 months before entry to the study ( incidence during follow up 66 % ) . Frequent low mood at baseline was strongly associated with subsequent absence from work for back pain ( odds ratio 3.4 ; 95 % confidence interval 1.4 to 8.2 ) . After adjustment for earlier history of back pain and other potential confounders , risk was higher in nurses who reported frequent manual transfer of patients between bed and chair , manual repositioning of patients on the bed , and lifting patients in or out of the bath with a hoist . Conclusions : Of the indicators of individual susceptibility that were examined , only history of back trouble was sufficiently predictive to justify selective exclusion of some applicants for nursing posts . The main route to prevention of back disorders among nurses is likely to lie in improved ergonomics . Key messages A history of back trouble , particularly if recent and prolonged , is highly predictive of new episodes of back pain There are grounds for excluding nurses with recent and prolonged back pain from the most physically dem and ing jobs Age , height , and weight are not sufficiently discriminatory for risk of back pain to influence selection and appointment of nurses Back pain is more common in nurses who lift and move patients frequently without the use of mechanical aids Controlled trials are needed to assess the benefits of ergonomic intervention aim ed at prevention of back pain in
Overall studies showed that nursing activities conferred increased risk for , and were associated with back disorders regardless of nursing technique , personal characteristics , and non-work-related factors .
Patient h and ling appears to confer the highest risk , but other nursing duties are also associated with elevated risk , and confound dose – response assessment s related to patient h and ling alone .
A threshold of nursing activities below which the risk of back disorders is not elevated has not been established .
Abstract Background : Although non-specific low back pain ( LBP ) is known to be multifactorial , studies from across the globe have documented their higher prevalence in nurses .
This systematic review was conducted to ascertain whether this much-documented association constitutes a causal relationship , and whether there is a discernible threshold of exposures associated with this elevated risk .