LOW BACK PAIN AMONG NURSES WORKING IN DIFFERENT HOSPITALS

Nursing is a healthcare profession that is concerned with maintaining and promoting the health of the patients. Because of their work environment and workload nurse are at the very high risk of many occupational health problems. Material and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. A sample size of 92 nurses was calculated and questionnaires were distributed among them and information was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, job history, frequency, severity and pattern of low back pain. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 Results: The life time prevalence of Low Back Pain among nurses shows that out of 80 respondents 50 (62.5%) nurses suffered from Low Back Pain in their lifetime while 30 (38.5%) didn’t. 12 months prevalence of Low Back Pain was calculated and it was found that 43 nurses (86%) who have experienced Low Back Pain in their life have also suffered from Low Back Pain in the last 12 months with 22 (44%), 12 (24.0%) and 3 (6%) nurses have suffered from Low Back Pain for 1-7 days, 8-30 days, >30 days. Eight (16%) nurses said that they are feeling the pain daily from the last 12 months. Conclusion: About 65% of nurses were suffering from low back pain which indicates high prevalence and is in line with prevalence of low back pain in the developed countries. Therefore, it is recommended to maintain the Body Mass Index in the normal ranges and also maintain proper body mechanics and posture and use assistive devices in lifting the patients. Keywords: Low Back Pain, Nurses, Frequency, Risk factors, Pakistan