Ergonomic risks and musculoskeletal pain in hospital cleaning workers: Convergent Care Research with mixed methods.
Emanuelli Mancio Ferreira da Luz, Oclaris Lopes Munhoz, Patrícia Bitencourt Toscani Greco and 3 others
PMID 38922262WHAT IT FOUND
Hospital cleaning workers reported musculoskeletal pain in the last seven days in lower back, ankles or feet, wrists or hands, upper back and shoulders.
Standing, twisting, squatting, wringing cloths and non-adjustable equipment were reported alongside pain.
Key findings
01Workers reported musculoskeletal pain in the lower back (42.3%), ankles or feet (28.2%), wrists or hands (27.5%), upper back or thoracic spine (25.5%) and shoulders (23.5%).
02Shoulder pain was associated with self-medication (p=0.026) and with postures such as arms raised without support.
03Observation and worker accounts identified standing with trunk rotation and flexion to wring cleaning cloths, squatting, and cleaning equipment not adapted to worker height or demand as prominent exposures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was done at one teaching hospital with outsourced cleaning workers, so it may not apply to other workplaces. It used a cross-sectional design, so it cannot show that any single posture, equipment item or habit caused pain. Pain was self-reported over the previous seven days. The authors noted a small sample and little variation among workers and cleaning tasks. The study produced a continuing education programme, but it did not test whether that programme reduced pain.
Declared interests
The paper reports financing by CAPES (Finance Code 001) and FAPERGS (Grant #20/2551-0000313-2).
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations as proof that changing one posture, piece of equipment or habit will prevent pain. The study was cross-sectional, multifactorial and did not test the continuing education programme.