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Low back pain among nurses: Common cause of lost days at work and contributing to the worldwide shortage of nurses

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Published/Copyright: April 1, 2016
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Scandinavian Journal of Pain
From the journal Scandinavian Journal of Pain Volume 11 Issue 1

In this issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Pain, Saurab Sharma from Kathmandu University Hospital in Nepal and coworkers report on pain related factors that are associated with lost work days in nurses with low back pain [1]. Of 111 female nurses work-ing in Nepal that participated in the study, 65% reported that they had low back pain. It is well documented that low back pain is one of the most common causes of disability, and that low back pain is particularly prevalent among nurses. Thus, in a study from Qatar the one-year prevalence of low back pain for nurses was 54% [2]. In a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence for low back pain among nurses in a Nigerian hospital and an Ethiopian hospital, the 12 months prevalence of low back pain was 71% [3].

The nurses in Nepal, because of their low back pain, reported a loss of 7 workdays (less than 2%) during one year (range from 0 to 14 days). In the study from East-Africa nurses lost 202 days (0.15%) of the total working (131,400) days, which is low. The mean age of the nurses from Nepal was 24 years with a range from 19 to 40 years. Even if the numbers of lost work days are low, one has to be aware of the fact that the young nurses in the samples have many years working in the future.

One of the strengths of the study of Sharma et al. [1] is that they also investigated factors that could impact on lost work days. They found that having constant pain and having a low back pain problem that was alleviated by rest were factors significantly associated with lost work days. Pain intensity was only weakly associated with lost work days. This finding emphasizes that further research should be done to increase knowledge about factors that are associated with lost work days. This may lead to better management of low back pain among nurses and hopefully reduce sick leaves, and hopefully this may prevent nurses from quitting their work because of such health problems. This is important because there is a worldwide shortage of nurses, and studies show that shortages of nurses are ranked as one of the greatest threats to patient safety [4].

DOI of refers to article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sjpain.2015.11.007.

Oslo University Hospital, Ullevaal, Pb 4956 Nydalen, Oslo, Norway. Tel.:+47 41454870

References

[1] Sharma S, Shrestha N, Jensen MP. Pain-related factors associated with lost work days in nurses with low back pain: a cross-sectional study. Scand. J. Pain 2016;11:36–41.Search in Google Scholar

[2] Abolfotouh SM, Mahmoud K, Faraj K, Moammer G, ElSayed A, Abolfotouh MA. Prevalence, consequences and predictors of low back pain among nurses in a tertiarycare setting. Int. Orthop 2015;39:2439–49.Search in Google Scholar

[3] Sikiru L, Shmaila H. Prevalence and risk factors oflow back pain among nurses in Africa: Nigerian and Ethiopian specialized hospitals survey study. East Afr. J. Public Health 2009;6:22–5.Search in Google Scholar

[4] Buchan J, Aiken L. Solving nursing shortages: a common priority. J. Clin. Nurs 2008;17:3262–8.Search in Google Scholar
Published Online: 2016-04-01
Published in Print: 2016-04-01

© 2016 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjpain.2016.01.005

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Editorial comment
  2. Psychophysiological effects of threatening a rubber hand that is perceptually embodied in healthy human subjects
  3. Original experimental
  4. A preliminary investigation into psychophysiological effects of threatening a perceptually embodied rubber hand in healthy human participants
  5. Editorial comment
  6. Analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in pain patients – Can biomarker studies lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology of pain?
  7. Clinical pain research
  8. Serum C-reactive protein levels predict regional brain responses to noxious cold stimulation of the hand in chronic whiplash associated disorders
  9. Editorial comment
  10. Importance of early diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS-1 and CRPS-2): Delayed diagnosis of CRPS is a major problem
  11. Clinical pain research
  12. Delayed diagnosis and worsening of pain following orthopedic surgery in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
  13. Editorial comment
  14. Associative learning mechanisms may trigger increased burden of chronic pain; unlearning and extinguishing learned maladaptive responses should help chronic pain patients
  15. Original experimental
  16. When touch predicts pain: predictive tactile cues modulate perceived intensity of painful stimulation independent of expectancy
  17. Editorial comment
  18. Low back pain among nurses: Common cause of lost days at work and contributing to the worldwide shortage of nurses
  19. Observational study
  20. Pain-related factors associated with lost work days in nurses with low back pain: A cross-sectional study
  21. Editorial comment
  22. Assessment of persistent pelvic pain after hysterectomy: Neuropathic or nociceptive?
  23. Clinical pain research
  24. Characterization of persistent pain after hysterectomy based on gynaecological and sensory examination
  25. Editorial comment
  26. Transmucosal fentanyl for severe cancer pain: Nasal mucosa superior to oral mucosa?
  27. Original experimental
  28. Facilitation of accurate and effective radiation therapy using fentanyl pectin nasal spray (FPNS) to reduce incidental breakthrough pain due to procedure positioning
  29. Editorial comment
  30. Why do we have opioid-receptors in peripheral tissues? Not for relief of pain by opioids
  31. Clinical pain research
  32. Peripheral morphine reduces acute pain in inflamed tissue after third molar extraction: A double-blind, randomized, active-controlled clinical trial
  33. Editorial comment
  34. Chronic pain and psychological distress among long-term social assistance recipients – An intolerable burden on those on the lowest steps of the socioeconomic ladder
  35. Clinical pain research
  36. The co-occurrence of chronic pain and psychological distress and its associations with salient socio-demographic characteristics among long-term social assistance recipients in Norway
  37. Editorial comment
  38. Fifty years on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain-intensity is still good for acute pain. But multidimensional assessment is needed for chronic pain
  39. Clinical pain research
  40. Patient reported outcome measures of pain intensity: Do they tell us what we need to know?
  41. Editorial comment
  42. Postoperative pain documentation 30 years after
  43. Topical review
  44. Postoperative pain documentation in a hospital setting: A topical review
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  46. Aspects of pain attitudes and pain beliefs in children: Clinical importance and validity
  47. Observational study
  48. The Survey of Pain Attitudes: A revised version of its pediatric form
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  50. The role of social anxiety in chronic pain and the return-to-work process
  51. Clinical pain research
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  55. Topical review
  56. Definition, diagnosis and treatment strategies for opioid-induced bowel dysfunction–Recommendations of the Nordic Working Group
  57. Observational study
  58. Opioid-induced constipation, use of laxatives, and health-related quality of life
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  61. Systematic review
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  67. Announcement
  68. May 26-27, 2016 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain, Reykjavik, Iceland May 25, 2016 PhD course
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