Sociodemographic and organizational factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms among intensive care unit professionals.

Background: The heavy and complex work routine in the intensive care unit (ICU) involves high workload, long working hours, high levels of tension, exposure to extreme situations and to hazards of different nature.

Objective: To investigate the influence of sociodemographic and organizational factors on the development of musculoskeletal pain, tension and fatigue among ICU professionals.

Methods: We interviewed 128 professionals from seven public hospitals in João Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil.