Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review
Abstract BackgroundNurses face a higher risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to their primary roles in patient care. Participatory ergonomics (PE), an approach that integrates large-scale interventions performed at organizational and systems le...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2025-06-01
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| Series: | JMIR Human Factors |
| Online Access: | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e68522 |
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| author | Guganesan Krishnanmoorthy Sanjay Rampal Sumitra Ropini Karuthan Faiz Baharudin Rama Krishna |
| author_facet | Guganesan Krishnanmoorthy Sanjay Rampal Sumitra Ropini Karuthan Faiz Baharudin Rama Krishna |
| author_sort | Guganesan Krishnanmoorthy |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Abstract
BackgroundNurses face a higher risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to their primary roles in patient care. Participatory ergonomics (PE), an approach that integrates large-scale interventions performed at organizational and systems levels with small-scale interventions, is widely considered a promising approach to mitigate health problems at the workplace. However, its effectiveness in addressing WMSDs and secondary outcomes such as sickness absence and work performance among nurses is not fully understood.
ObjectiveThis systematic review assessed the effectiveness of PE interventions in preventing WMSDs and mitigating two related outcomes, sickness absence and work performance, among nurses.
MethodsA literature search was performed in four electronic databases, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PsycNet, guided by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines to retrieve relevant papers published between 2017 and 2023. Papers fulfilling the eligibility criteria were analyzed and subjected to quality appraisal.
ResultsOverall, 19 papers were included in the final analysis. Various categories of ergonomic interventions were identified, with the predominant being exercise and physical activities, health promotional activities and training, educational programs, and patient handling devices. Multicomponent interventions, especially those involving physical activities and exercise, demonstrated stronger effects in reducing the risk of WMSDs at 6 months (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.12‐4.54) and 12 months postintervention (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.52‐4.51) compared with single interventions. However, most ergonomic interventions had no statistically significant effect (P
ConclusionsMulticomponent interventions, particularly those involving physical activities and exercise, are more effective in reducing the risk of WMSDs among nurses compared with individual interventions. However, their long-term effects in addressing WMSDs, sick absenteeism, and work performance are still unclear. These gaps could be addressed by integrating organizational factors and prevention policies into existing ergonomic interventions, thereby offering opportunities to improve psychological health, job satisfaction, and work dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b21f251c5a564fa0875db6ea1fc4570f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2292-9495 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Human Factors |
| spelling | doaj-art-b21f251c5a564fa0875db6ea1fc4570f2025-08-20T03:32:32ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952025-06-0112e68522e6852210.2196/68522Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic ReviewGuganesan Krishnanmoorthyhttp://orcid.org/0009-0009-0209-5086Sanjay Rampalhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-0105-6407Sumitra Ropini Karuthanhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-5612-5588Faiz Baharudinhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-0844-0425Rama Krishnahttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-7059-9870 Abstract BackgroundNurses face a higher risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to their primary roles in patient care. Participatory ergonomics (PE), an approach that integrates large-scale interventions performed at organizational and systems levels with small-scale interventions, is widely considered a promising approach to mitigate health problems at the workplace. However, its effectiveness in addressing WMSDs and secondary outcomes such as sickness absence and work performance among nurses is not fully understood. ObjectiveThis systematic review assessed the effectiveness of PE interventions in preventing WMSDs and mitigating two related outcomes, sickness absence and work performance, among nurses. MethodsA literature search was performed in four electronic databases, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PsycNet, guided by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines to retrieve relevant papers published between 2017 and 2023. Papers fulfilling the eligibility criteria were analyzed and subjected to quality appraisal. ResultsOverall, 19 papers were included in the final analysis. Various categories of ergonomic interventions were identified, with the predominant being exercise and physical activities, health promotional activities and training, educational programs, and patient handling devices. Multicomponent interventions, especially those involving physical activities and exercise, demonstrated stronger effects in reducing the risk of WMSDs at 6 months (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.12‐4.54) and 12 months postintervention (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.52‐4.51) compared with single interventions. However, most ergonomic interventions had no statistically significant effect (P ConclusionsMulticomponent interventions, particularly those involving physical activities and exercise, are more effective in reducing the risk of WMSDs among nurses compared with individual interventions. However, their long-term effects in addressing WMSDs, sick absenteeism, and work performance are still unclear. These gaps could be addressed by integrating organizational factors and prevention policies into existing ergonomic interventions, thereby offering opportunities to improve psychological health, job satisfaction, and work dynamics.https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e68522 |
| spellingShingle | Guganesan Krishnanmoorthy Sanjay Rampal Sumitra Ropini Karuthan Faiz Baharudin Rama Krishna Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review JMIR Human Factors |
| title | Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review |
| title_full | Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review |
| title_short | Effectiveness of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sick Absenteeism, and Work Performance Among Nurses: Systematic Review |
| title_sort | effectiveness of participatory ergonomic interventions on work related musculoskeletal disorders sick absenteeism and work performance among nurses systematic review |
| url | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e68522 |
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