Work-related musculoskeletal complaints among haemodialysis nurses: An exploratory study of the work situation from an ergonomic perspective.

Background: Haemodialysis nurses have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints, but the reason for this is yet unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to carry out an exploratory analysis of the work situation of haemodialysis nurses from an ergonomic perspective.

Methods: Non-participant observations and reflective discussions to assess the work environment and explore possible potential hazards contributing to musculoskeletal complaints were conducted among nineteen nurses at five haemodialysis centres. Additional reflective notes from the observer's experiences and progress in the field were made. Analytic integration was applied to merge the collected data.

Results: Eight haemodialysis work tasks believed to increase the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal complaints were identified. Different types of musculoskeletal complaints, mainly in the upper extremity, were mentioned. The design of the dialysis machine used and the physical demands of repetitive work procedures were implicated.

Conclusions: Our findings add to the understanding of the work-related factors that contribute to musculoskeletal complaints among haemodialysis nurses. The findings support the hypothesis that there might be an association between materials used and the development of work-related complaints involving the fingers, hands and wrists of this population. Repetitive work tasks that have an impact on the development of musculoskeletal problems need to be further investigated.