Workplace Conditions and their Association with Musculoskeletal Disorders among Nurses and Orderlies at a Hospital in Nicaragua

Abstract

Due to the high frequency of exposure to awkward postures, repetitive movements, and manual handling of loads in the hospital setting, the association between workplace conditions and musculoskeletal disorders among nurses and orderlies at a hospital in Nicaragua was studied during 2024. The objective was to characterize the staff’s sociodemographic profile, evaluate workplace ergonomic conditions, identify musculoskeletal complaints, and analyze their association with high ergonomic risk. A quantitative, observational, descriptive, and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 148 workers, of whom 123 were nurses and 25 were orderlies. The REBA matrix, an ergonomic checklist, and the Nordic Questionnaire were used. The analysis included descriptive statistics and simple and multiple binary logistic regression. Predominance was found among nursing staff, female employees, those in the inpatient ward, and those with more than five years of service. In the ergonomic assessment, the most common factors were mixed postures, neck flexion or extension greater than 20°, pronounced knee flexion, repetitive movements, and handling loads greater than 10 kg. The lumbar region had the highest frequency of discomfort, followed by the wrist or hands. In the bivariate analysis, handling loads greater than 10 kg and poor grip quality were associated with high ergonomic risk; however, in the adjusted model, only loads greater than 10 kg maintained a significant association. It was concluded that load handling constitutes the main factor associated with high ergonomic risk and that its reduction represents a priority for hospital occupational health.