Knee pain in nursing home workers after implementation of a safe resident handling program

• Purpose: Approximately 25-30% of nursing personnel experience knee pain (KP). We sought to identify physical and psychosocial work exposures, and personal factors related to prevalent, incident, and persistent KP 5-8 years after safe resident handing program (SRHP) implementation in nursing homes.Methods: Health and exposure information was obtained from worker surveys 5-6 years (“F5”) and 7-8 years (“F6”) post-SRHP implementation. Prevalent KP correlates were examined at F5; persistent and incident KP predictors were analyzed at F6, utilizing robust Poisson multivariable regression.Results: F5 KP prevalence (19.7%) was associated with combined physical exposures, and with either high job strain or low social support, in separate models. Two-year persistent KP was similarly associated with these psychosocial exposures. Being overweight was associated with KP in all analyses.Conclusions: The SRHP program did not eliminate knee physical loading, which should be reduced to prevent nursing home worker KP. Workplace psychosocial exposures (high job strain, low social support) also appeared germane.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

healthcare workers

job strain

lower extremity

moving and lifting patients

workload

Health-Promoting Work

Hälsofrämjande arbete

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)