Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Healthcare facilities, especially hospitals, carry significant risks in terms of the work environment and occupational health and safety. We aimed, in this descriptive study, to determine the frequency of low back pain and the factors affect ing low back pain in healthcare workers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Healthcare workers working in Elazığ Training and Research Hospital constituted the universe of the study. A total of 1024 healthcare workers included in the study, and those were composed of 207 physicians, 368 nurses, 166 midwives, and 283 other healthcare personel. No sample was selected in the study. The response rate was 48.8 % (500 persons). As a data collection tool, a questionnaire regarding the sociodemographic characteristics of healthcare workers and the Oswestry Low Back Scale were used. RESULTS: Of healthcare workers participating in the study, 67.4 % were women; and the mean age was detected to be 36.43±8.28. 55 % of the study participants stated that they had low back pain. Among those, 91.5 % notified to experience pain beginning after working. When exercising is evaluated in all employees, a statistically significant difference was found between those with and without low back pain. Those who exercised faced less back pain than those who did not (p=0.019). The mean score of the Oswestry Scale was found to be 33.78±1.37 in all employees. We, however, observed the score in women to be higher than in men. Remarkably, the nurses'/midwives' score was higher than physicians' score (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As a result, more than half of the persons included in our study stated that they had low back pain. The mean of the scores they got from the Oswestry Scale was detected to be 33.78±1.37 in all employees. For reducing low back pain in healthcare workers, and for healthy work, ergonomic evaluation of work environments of employees should be provided. The necessary arrangements should also be made to be successful.

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