Open AccessPrevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and quality of life among administrative technicians
Author(s) -
Thiago Bezerra Wanderley e Lima,
Jéssica Rodrigues Albuquerque,
Marina Gomes Fagundes,
Carina Carvalho Correia Coutinho
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.181
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 2447-0147
pISSN - 1679-4435
DOI - 10.5327/z1679443520200445
Subject(s) - medicine , physical therapy , psychological intervention , sick leave , musculoskeletal pain , quality of life (healthcare) , musculoskeletal disorder , absenteeism , psychology , nursing , emergency medicine , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , social psychology
Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders comprise muscle, tendon, synovial, nerve, fascial and ligament injuries alone or combined, with a proven or not relationship with work. They manifest as pain, paresthesia, feeling of heaviness and fatigue, and may cause temporary or permanent incapacity for work. Objective: To establish the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and quality of life of administrative technicians at a public institution who used computers at work for 5 years. Methods: The sample comprised 70 administrative technicians aged 20 to 69 who used computers at work for 5 years. We analyzed the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and quality of life with SF-36. Interviews were performed in the workplace. The data were analyzed with SPSS 20.0 and the significance level was set to 5%. Results: SF-36 domain scores were considered satisfactory for all the participants. Prevalence of pain in the past 7 days (70%) and past 12 months (77.1%) was high. The lower back was the body site most frequently involved (38.6%). Conclusion: The prevalence of pain in several body sites was high among the analyzed administrative technicians. Pain might interfere with their work and lead to sick leave spells. Clinical assessments and interventions are needed to minimize this problem.