The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among the nurses in Dubai: Occupational health study

The purpose of this research is to explore the risk factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among nurses in Dubai. The research was done among nurses in Dubai’s two famous hospitals – Iranian Hospital and Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery. After approvals were obtained, questionnaires with attached consent forms were randomly distributed among nurses from different wards according to their availability. In this study, a total of 100 responses from nurses working in Dubai were analyzed using validated questionnaire forms. Questions focused on the percentage of nurses suffering from MSDs, risk factors perceived by nurses, and whether medical attention was sought following the development of MSDs. The results of our study showed that female nurses were more affected than male nurses. Most nurses were young (between 28 and 35 years of age) with few years of work experience. Positive responses of having developed MSDs were largely from nurses in the surgical ward. The body sites most affected were found to be the back (~44%), feet (~18%), neck and shoulder (~18%). In addition, the majority of nurses reported physical ergonomic factors as the main cause for their MSDs. These findings are especially important in the region, as very few studies have been published in this field. They also give a new perspective to the work handled by nurses and help ‘voice’ their problems as a call for action to nurses, hospitals, and the government itself.