Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Absenteeism Among Nurses in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Abstract:

Background: The study presents the prevalence, risk factors of low back pain and job absenteeism among nurses in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive design was adopted for this study. 255 nurses were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Findings showed that 71.4% of the respondents had low back pain which was intense. The study revealed that 54.1% of respondents attributed their pain to their work which ranged from procedures requiring lifting and bending such as wound dressing and bed making (85.5%), also, 76.5 % of the respondents identified stress as a risk factor for low back pain, while 90.9% identified prolonged standing as a risk factor for low back pain. The study also revealed that 11.4% of nurses had missed work because of low back pain and have reduced their productivity. Also, the study found a significant association between stress and low back pain among respondents (p= 0.004 < 0.05). Conclusion: The study concludes that low back pain is prevalent among nurses and is attributed to certain nursing procedure and also responsible for job absenteeism among nurses. Clinical Relevance: This calls for urgent needs for intervention programs to be designed for nurses so as to ensure their optimal participation in work activities.