Department of Occupational Health Engineering and Safety at Work, School of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Med Lav. 2022 Aug 25;113(4):e2022031. doi: 10.23749/mdl.v113i4.12834.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related stress are among the factors that can negatively affect work ability. Given the importance of midwives' health, this study aims to evaluate the work ability of midwives and to investigate its association with the prevalence of MSDs and work-related stress in midwifery.
Ninety-one midwives participated in this study. Three questionnaires, including Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) plus body map, Persian version of work ability index (WAI) questionnaire, and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) job stress questionnaire, were used to collect data. Finally, the association of MSDs, work-related stress, and individual characteristics with WAI among midwives was investigated.
The highest rates of pain and discomfort were reported in the lower back and neck. The mean job stress was 116.08 with the highest scores on demand, role, and control subscales. The work ability among midwives was at an acceptable level of 39.07 on average. Inter-variable association analysis showed that the work ability was significantly associated with pain in the past 12 months and the number of coexisting MSDs. Job stress was not associated with work ability.
Midwives' WAI was at an acceptable level despite high prevalence of MSDs in midwives, the confirmation of the possible correlation between MSDs and work ability, as well as the high job stress in midwifery. Since the present study was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, the high stress in midwives may be partly due to the pandemic and may not be permanent. However, this level of stress may reduce the midwives' work ability over a long time.
肌肉骨骼疾病（MSDs）和与工作相关的压力是可能对工作能力产生负面影响的因素之一。鉴于助产士健康的重要性，本研究旨在评估助产士的工作能力，并调查其与助产士 MSDs 和与工作相关的压力的患病率之间的关系。
91 名助产士参加了这项研究。使用了三个问卷，包括北欧肌肉骨骼问卷（NMQ）加身体图谱、波斯语工作能力指数（WAI）问卷和健康与安全执行局（HSE）工作压力问卷，收集数据。最后，调查了 MSDs、与工作相关的压力以及个体特征与助产士 WAI 之间的关系。
报告的疼痛和不适发生率最高的部位是下背部和颈部。平均工作压力为 116.08，需求、角色和控制子量表的得分最高。助产士的工作能力平均处于可接受的水平，为 39.07。变量间关联分析表明，工作能力与过去 12 个月的疼痛和共存 MSDs 的数量显著相关。工作压力与工作能力无关。
尽管助产士 MSDs 的患病率较高，但助产士的 WAI 处于可接受的水平，这证实了 MSDs 与工作能力之间可能存在相关性，以及助产士的工作压力较高。由于本研究是在新冠疫情期间进行的，因此助产士的高压力可能部分是由于疫情造成的，且可能不是永久性的。然而，这种压力水平可能会在很长一段时间内降低助产士的工作能力。
