Occupational musculoskeletal injuries are costly to the health care industry. It is estimated that 12% of nurses leave the profession annually because of back injuries. With the use of grounded theory methodology, 15 nursing personnel and physical therapists were interviewed about their perceptions of occupational musculoskeletal injuries. Analysis of the data identified major themes, including feelings of fear and frustration; chronic issue and part of the job; love of the profession and concerns about continuing in the profession; increased risk of injury; compliant with treatment; negative impact on quality of life; negative feelings about the occupational health department; and educational needs. A theory began to emerge in which health care workers accepted occupational injuries as part of the job and took no action or initiated only minor interventions to prevent work-related injuries. The study indicates a need for education and better communication.
BrogmusG. (2007). Day of the week lost time occupational injury trends in the US by gender and industry and their implications for work scheduling. Ergonomics, 50(3), 446–474.
CollinsJ. W.WolfL.BellJ.EvanoffB. (2004). An evaluation of a “best practice” musculoskeletal injury prevention program in nursing homes. Injury Prevention, 10, 206–211.
5.
Geiger-BrownJ.TrinkoffA. M.NielsonK.LirtmunlikapornS.BradyB.VasquezE. I. (2004). Nurses' perception of their work environment, health, and well-being. AAOHN Journal, 52(1), 16–22.
6.
GlaserB.StraussA. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine
7.
GroschJ. W.GershonR. R.MurphyL. R.DeJoyD. M. (1999). Safety climate dimensions associated with occupation exposure to blood-borne pathogens in nurses. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 36(Suppl. 1), 122–124.
8.
HudsonA. (2008). WING USA SPH legislation update 4-29-08. Retrieved from www.wingusa.org
9.
LeighJ. P.MarcinJ. P.MillerT. R. (2004). An estimate of the U.S. government's undercount of nonfatal occupational injuries. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(1), 10–18.
10.
MaguireB. J.HuntingK. L.GuidottiT. L.SmithG. S. (2005). Occupation injuries among emergency medical services personnel. Prehospital Emergency Care, 9(4), 405–411.
11.
MarshS. M.DerkS. J.JacksonL. L. (2006). Nonfatal occupational injuries and illness among workers treated on hospital emergency departments–United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295(21), 2470–2475.
12.
MenzelN. (2008). Underreporting of musculoskeletal disorders among health care workers. AAOHN Journal, 56(12), 487–494.
13.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (1994). Workplace use of back belts: Review and recommendation (Publication No. 94-122). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
14.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2003). Guidelines for nursing homes: Ergonomics for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (Publication No. 3182). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
15.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2006). Safe lifting and movement of nursing home residents (Publication No. 2006-117). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
16.
NelsonA. (2005). Safe patient handling and movement: A practical guide for health care professionals. New York: Springer
17.
NelsonA.CollinsJ.KnibbeH.CooksonK.deCastroA.WhippleK. (2007). Safer patient handling. Nursing Management, 38(3), 26–32.
18.
NelsonA.MatzM.ChenF.SiddharthanK.LloydJ.FragalaG. (2006). Research report: A multifaceted ergonomics program to prevent injuries associated with patient handling tasks in the VHA. Journal of International Studies, 43(6), 717–733.
19.
PranskyG.SnyderT.DembeA.HimmelsteinJ. (1999). Underreporting of work-related disorders in the workplace: A case study and review of the literature. Ergonomics, 42(1), 171–182.
20.
ScherzerT.RuguliesR.KrauseN. (2005). Work-related pain and injury and barriers to workers' compensation among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners. American Journal of Public Health, 95(3), 483–488.
21.
StraussA.CorbinJ. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
22.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000). Healthy people 2010: Understanding and improving health (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
23.
WassellJ. T.GardnerL. I.LandsittelD. P.JohnstonJ. J.JohnstonJ. M. (2000). A prospective study of back belts for prevention of back pain and injury. Journal of the American Medical Association, 284(21), 2727–2732.
