[Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders among nurses of a provincial hospital in Vietnam: Issue and health policy context].

OBJECTIVE

To study the situation of MSDs among nursing staff and the barriers to implementing an MSD preventive intervention in Vietnamese hospitals.

METHODS

A mixed design has been devised. The quantitative component aimed to study the prevalence of MSDs, the associations between MSDs and potential risk factors and consequences of MSDs; the qualitative component focused on the study of facilitators/barriers to the implementation of a MSDs prevention program in Vietnamese hospitals.

RESULTS

The prevalence of lower back, neck and shoulders MSDs, over the past 12 months, was the highest in the neck (59%) and then in lower back (49%), shoulders (40%). Factors associated with these disorders are mainly the presence of stress, being a woman and work intensity. MSD-related pain has an impact on the ability to work and the quality of life. The lack of knowledge on MSDs by health care administrators inside and outside the hospitals and the lack of human resources with expertise in MSD management are important barriers to the implementation of an MSD prevention program in Vietnamese hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

MSDs represent a serious occupational health problem in hospitals. Reducing the prevalence of MSDs requires not only an increased awareness about this serious problem among administrators, but also the development of expertise in MSD management.