Aim
Detect the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among anesthesiologists and their related risk factors.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted on anesthesia and intensive care physicians in Ismailia/Egypt from June to July 2022. The questionnaire had three parts. The first part consisted of participants’ demographic data. The second focused on musculoskeletal disorders and possible risk factors. The last one questioned the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on the participants.
Results
The mean age of the studied population was 35.65 ± 7.734. Thirty-eight (41.8%) participants worked for 60–80 hours/week. The whole study participants reported the presence of at least one form of MSDs. Back pain was the most reported pain (78%), followed by neck pain (50.5%). Possible risk factors included the need for excessive bending and twisting, poor work ergonomics that needs improvement as reported by (81.3%) of participants and suboptimizing patient’s position before specific procedures by two thirds of the participants. The physicians reported difficulty falling asleep, feeling anxious, and needing medication to control pain; however, they did not require sick leave (79.1%).
Conclusion
A significant proportion of anesthetists suffer from WRMSDs. Work ergonomics need improvement.