Adaptation strategies for nurses with musculoskeletal pain in hospital work: a systematic review.

Only eight studies were included, so the evidence base is small. The interventions, outcome measures and settings varied widely, and the authors could not perform a meta-analysis. Seven randomized controlled trials and one pre-experimental study were included; six of seven randomized trials were high quality on Jadad and one was low quality, while the pre-experimental study was low quality. Participants were nurses or healthcare workers, not patients from other clinical settings. Several programs combined physical, psychological and workplace components, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Lower back pain reduction was not statistically significant in the multifaceted workplace trial. No experimental studies were retrieved for specific ergonomic adaptations such as furniture, staffing strategies or service organization.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not read this as proof that any single treatment, such as auriculotherapy, Pilates or mindfulness, works for all musculoskeletal pain. The review included only eight studies of hospital nursing professionals, several interventions combined exercise with education or workplace changes, and one trial found no significant reduction in lower back pain.