Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Emergency Medical Services Staff: Predictors and Relationships with Occupational Stress

Background: Due to the nature of their work, prehospital emergency medical services staff are prone to musculoskeletal disorders as well as work-related psychological and social stress. Early diagnosis can prevent these disorders or reduce their complications. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and their predictors in prehospital emergency medical services staff. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in ۲۰۲۲ on prehospital emergency medical services staff of Bojnourd City, Iran, who were selected by census method. Three tools, the demographic characteristics questionnaire, Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, and Aghainejad occupational stress questionnaire, were used to collect information. They were analyzed using descriptive statistics, univariate and multiple logistic regression. Results: Of ۸۵ people who participated in the study, ۸۷.۱% had musculoskeletal disorders in at least one body area over the last year, and the most common area was the lower back (۶۳.۵%). The factors predicting musculoskeletal disorders, namely organizational stress (OR=۱۲.۴۷۷; ۹۵% CI: ۱.۵۰۶, ۱۰۳.۳۶۷; P=۰.۰۱۹), occupational stress (OR=۳.۹۱۹; ۹۵% CI: ۱.۰۷۲, ۱۴.۳۲۷; P=۰.۰۳۹), age (OR=۰.۱۵۲; ۹۵% CI: ۰.۰۳۲, ۰.۷۱۷; P=۰.۰۱۷), and exercise (OR=۱۷.۱۳۰; ۹۵% CI, ۳.۱۱۰, ۹۴.۳۴۲; P=۰.۰۰۱) were identified using multiple regression. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders as well as an unfavorable rate of occupational stress among the research subjects. Therefore, it is suggested that interventional measures and an effective approach be adopted to help improve the health and quality of work-related factors and increase the productivity of personnel.

کلیدواژه ها:

Emergency medical technicians ، Musculoskeletal disorders ، Prehospital ، Occupational stress ، job stress