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Nurses are more vulnerable to injuries after systems changes take place

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, September 15, 2004

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Neck, shoulder, and back injuries are on the rise among registered nurses, especially among those who work longer shifts and provide more care to more patients than in the past, according to a study of more than 1,000 registered nurses.

Researchers from Baltimore's University of Maryland School of Nursing evaluated the impact of healthcare system changes on nurses' health by examining musculoskeletal injuries of nurses. The team defined a musculoskeletal injury as moderate pain that lasted at least one week or occurred monthly during the past year. Their results appear in the August 2004 issue of the American Journal of Public Health (Vol. 94, No. 8).

They asked nurses about changes that took place in their healthcare system within the past year. They identified 12 changes and categorized them as either low, moderate, or high changes.

Nearly one-third of surveyed nurses had suffered a back injury in the previous year. Twenty percent reported a neck injury, and 17% reported a shoulder injury.

The injuries were nearly four times more likely to occur among nurses who have experienced an increased workload, such as caring for sicker patients or working longer hours.

Organizational changes also impacted the nurses.

"Our finding that changes in health care services delivery compromises not only quality of care and patient safety but also nurses' health should provide further evidence of the need for a systematic approach to improving work conditions in the health care industry," the authors wrote.

Flashback: A study published in the November 11 issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found that repetitive tasks in the workplace can cause tissue damage in workers as early as three weeks after they begin the task--far sooner than researchers thought.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, and tendonitis, make up the majority (65%) of all occupational illnesses and cost tens of billions of dollars each year.

-- Wendy Johnson
wjohnson@hcpro.com

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