The Prevalence of Chronic Pain and related functional limitations among nursing staff in hospitals of Bandar Abbas University of medical sciences

Backgrounds: Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that may cause functional limitations such as physical inability, work inability, and increased health care costs and overall health. Due to the nature of nursing profession, nurses are at higher risk of injury, which may contribute to appearance of persistent pain and gradually a chronic condition, leading to functional limitations for the individual. This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of chronic pain and related functional limitations among nursing staff in Bandar Abbas city in 2018.Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted on 639 nurses of hospitals of Bandar Abbas University of medical sciences. Samples were selected and recruited for the study through a census method. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire comprised of data on demographic and job characteristics, information related to pain, and functional limitations related to chronic pain.Results: of 639 participants, 414 subjects displayed pain more than three months ago. The most prevalent pain-related functional limitation was request for no extra shift work outside of the working schedule (38%), followed by inability to perform daily activities (34%), avoid physical exercise (15%), avoid visiting friends and having fun with them (7%), and inability to provide care for the patient (6%). Moreover, work absence was not reported in all subjects with chronic pain.Conclusion: Nurses are at higher risk for chronic pain which can considerably affect their professional and daily activities, reduce social and leisure activities. Thus, effective intervention should be designed and implemented for these individuals

کلیدواژه ها:

prevalence ، chronic pain ، nursing