Nurses' uncertainty about medical gloves safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Nurses, as the largest group of health professionals, are at the frontline of the healthcare system in response to COVID-19 epidemic. This study aimed to evaluate the nurses' certainty and satisfaction with medical gloves when exposed to coronavirus in Fars province, south of Iran. METHODS: Using convenience sampling, 400 hospital nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak were selected from eight hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). A questionnaire about glove reliability, including protection in tasks, durability, integrity and tear resistance, feeling fearful, and focusing on duties, and the nurses' anxiety regarding their infection with coronavirus was distributed to the selected nurses to complete. 375 questionnaires were completed (response rate of 93.75%). Among the participants, 180 (48%) were in the corona section and 195 (52%) were hardly possible to have contact with coronavirus pneumonia patients. RESULTS: The mean score (SD) of anxiety about infection with COVID-19 for nurses in the COVID-19 section and those in the non-COVID-19 section were 6.08 (2.8) and 4.56 (2.58), respectively (p<0.05). The mean duration of gloves usage in a day was almost similar in the two groups (about 5h), but the number of glove replacements was significantly higher among the nurses in the corona section (6 times) compared to those in the non-corona section (3 times). The two groups were also significantly different regarding glove protection in daily tasks and glove durability. CONCLUSION: The nurses in the corona section had more concerns about medical gloves as a type of personal protective equipment. In addition to health education on controlling and preventing the spread of diseases, raising awareness about the reliability of personal protective equipment can improve nurses' performance.

Posture and discomfort assessment in computer users while using touch screen device as compared with mouse-keyboard and touch pad-keyboard.

BACKGROUND: Touch screen computers require significant arm and hand movements. This can result to body discomfort and biomechanical load in users. OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to examine posture and users' discomfort while using touch screen device as compared with mouse-keyboard and touch pad-keyboard. METHODS: Twenty three (23) students participated in this experimental study. The subjects completed pre-defined tasks in three 15 min trials by means of touch screen, touch pad-keyboard and mouse-keyboard as input devices. Postural angles were measured by Qualisys motion capture system. Body discomfort was assessed by a 10-cm visual analog scale. Rating scale was employed to assess the perception of subjects on the posture of body parts while utilizing the three devices. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in head inclination when using the three types of devices. Nevertheless, the mean of neck (p = 0.005) and trunk (p < 0.0001) inclinations as well as arm angle (p < 0.0001) while using touch screen, differed significantly from the two other devices and were more deviated from neutral posture. The type of input device was found to have significant effect on the right shoulder (p = 0.017), right elbow (p = 0.031), right wrist/hand (p = 0.004) and whole body discomfort (p = 0.026). Touch screen caused more discomfort in the mentioned regions when compared to the other two devices. Friedman test showed that differences of mean ratings for perceived shoulder and elbow postures in the 3 trials were significant (p = 0.005 and p = 0.011, respectively). Touch screen was the most unfavorable input device based on the subjects' judgment. CONCLUSION: Touch screen caused more deviated postural angles, increased body discomfort and unfavorable postures.

The effect of musculoskeletal problems on fatigue and productivity of office personnel: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) can impact on fatigue and productivity of office workers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of musculoskeletal problems on fatigue and productivity among office personnel. METHODS: This study was performed on 101 Iranian office workers. Data were gathered through a demographic questionnaire, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Numeric Rating Scale, Persian version of Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale, and Persian version of Health and Work Questionnaire. RESULTS: The results revealed that the highest prevalence rates of musculoskeletal symptoms in the past week were related to neck (41.6%), lower back (41.6%), and shoulders (40.6%). The mean score of discomfort/pain was 1.67, 1.55, and 1.31 in the neck, lower back, and shoulders, respectively. Additionally, the severity of discomfort/pain in neck, shoulders, lower back, and thighs was correlated to total fatigue. The severity of discomfort/pain in neck, lower back, buttock, and thighs was also correlated to the concentration/focus subscale of productivity. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement of working conditions is suggested to reduce musculoskeletal problems and fatigue and enhance productivity.

Ergonomic workplace assessment in orthotic and prosthetic workshops.

BACKGROUND: In Iranian orthotic and prosthetic workshops, the majority of activities are carried out by manpower and the tasks are labor-intensive. In these workshops, ergonomic aspects of working conditions are seldom considered. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted in orthotic and prosthetic workshops with the objectives of determination of prevalence rate of MSDs among employees and assessment of ergonomics working conditions. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, all employees (n = 42; 29 males and 13 females) in 11 active orthotic and prosthetic production centers of Shiraz city participated. Data were collected using Nordic Musculoskeletal disorders Questionnaire (NMQ) and observational technique by an ergonomics checklist for assessment of working conditions. RESULTS: The means (SD) of age and job tenure (years) in the study individuals were 37.26 (10.21) and 12.8 (9.39), respectively. The most prevalent MSD symptoms in the past 12 months were reported in the lower back (42.9%), shoulders (40.5%) and knees (40.5%). Working conditions assessment showed that the main ergonomic problems in the workshops studied originated from awkward working posture, improper workstation design, poorly designed hand tools and incorrect manual material handling. CONCLUSION: Any interventional program for working conditions improvement should, therefore, focus on these areas.

Musculoskeletal Problems in Iranian Hand-Woven Shoe-Sole Making Operation and Developing Guidelines for Workstation Design.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are among important health problems in working population. Because of performing difficult physical activities, hand-woven shoe-sole makers are at risk of developing various types of MSDs. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in different body areas of hand-woven shoe-sole makers, assess workers' postures and workstations, evaluate ergonomic and individual factors associated with MSDs, and develop guidelines for designing hand-woven shoe-sole making workstation. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of MSDs symptoms and their risk factors were studied among 240 hand-woven shoe-sole makers. Working posture and workstations were ergonomically assessed as well. The data were collected through interviewing and using Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and by direct observation of posture using RULA method. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors associated with MSDs symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence and severity of MSDs symptoms were high among the study population. Ergonomic factors including daily working time, working posture, and force exertion, as well as individual factors, such as age, job tenure, and education were significantly associated with MSDs symptoms. CONCLUSION: It seems that the majority of ergonomics shortcomings originate from poorly designed workstation. Some general guidelines for designing shoe-sole making workstation are presented.

Patient manual handling risk assessment among hospital nurses.

BACKGROUND: Manual patient handling is known to be the major source of musculoskeletal load among hospital nurses. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), assess patient manual handling risk and identify major factors associated with MSDs symptoms among hospital nursing staff. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 randomly selected nurses from 75 wards of 11 hospitals. Data were collected by demographic and Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaires together with MAPO checklist. Prevalence of MSDs was estimated with confidence interval of 95%. Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used to investigate differences of MSDs prevalence for demographic variables between the subjects with and without MSDs. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed (forward: Wald) to determine MSDs associated risk factors. RESULTS: The means of age and job tenure in subjects were 30.76 ± 6.44 and 6.92 ± 5.75 years, respectively. Some form of musculoskeletal symptoms had been experienced during the last 12 months by 88.2% of the subjects. MAPO assessment revealed that 83.5% of the individuals were at risk. Statistical analysis showed that job tenure, nurse to bed ratio, gender, shift working and MAPO score were associated with MSDs (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of MSDs in hospital nursing personnel was high and the occurrence of MSDs was found to be associated with MAPO score. Based on the results, to improve working conditions, it is imperative to provide lifting equipment, implement training programs and increase nurse to bed ratio in hospitals.

Job stress dimensions and their relationship to musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian nurses.

BACKGROUND: There is little data available on job stress dimensions and their relationship to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among Iranian nurses. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate job stress dimensions and examine their relationship to MSDs among nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) hospitals. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 385~randomly selected nurses of SUMS participated. The Persian version of Job Content Questionnaire (P-JCQ) and Nordic MSDs questionnaire were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U test were applied for data analysis. RESULTS: Decision latitude and social support dimensions had low levels, but psychological and physical job demands as well as job insecurity dimensions had high levels among the nurses. 89.9% of the subjects experienced some form of MSDs during the last 12 months. Lower back symptoms were the most prevalent problem reported (61.8%). Physical isometric loads was the only sub-scale that had significant relationship with MSDs. CONCLUSIONS: In the majority of cases, subjects were exposed to high levels of job stress. MSDs prevalence was high. Based on the results, any interventional program for MSDs prevention should focus on reducing physical and psychological job demands as well as increasing decision latitudes.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among employees of Iranian petrochemical industries: October 2009 to December 2012.

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a common health problem throughout the world and a major cause of disability in the workplace. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence rate of MSDs, assessment of ergonomics working conditions and identification of major risk factors associated with MSDs symptoms among employees of Iranian petrochemical industries between October 2009 and December 2012. METHODS: In this study, we studied 1184 randomly selected employees of 4 Iranian petrochemical companies with at least one year of work experience in office or operational units. For those with office jobs, data were collected using Nordic Musculoskeletal disorders Questionnaire (NMQ) and ergonomics checklist for the assessment of working conditions. For those with operational jobs, NMQ and Quick Exposure Check (QEC) method were used for data collection. RESULTS: The most prevalent MSD symptoms were reported in lower back (41.5%) and neck (36.5%). The prevalence of MSDs in all body regions but elbows and thighs of the office staff was significantly higher than that of operational workers. Assessment of working conditions in office staff revealed that the lowest index was attributed to workstation. QEC technique among operational workers showed that in 73.8% of the workers studied, the level of exposure to musculoskeletal risks was "high" or "very high." MSDs were associated with type of job, age, body mass index, work experience, gender, marital status, educational level and type of employment. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MSDs in the office staff was higher than that of operational workers. Level of exposure to MSDs risk was high in operational workers. Corrective measures are thus necessary for improving working conditions for both office and operational units.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Iranian Steel Workers.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders in developing countries are considered as main cause of occupational disorders and disability and highly associated with socioeconomic burden to individual, organization and society in general view. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and associated risk factors among Iranian steel workers. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 1439 questionnaires were provided from 1984 randomly selected workers of four Iranian steel industries. Data of musculoskeletal disorders was gathered by means of standardized Nordic self-reporting questionnaire. Demographic and work related data were collected into the check list. RESULTS: Out of 1984 individuals, 1439 questionnaires returned and mean age of study workers was 37.23±8.74 years old. Among workers, 46.3% in the past week and 61% in the last year claimed one of musculoskeletal disorders in their bodies. Lumbar, knee(s) and neck areas had the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders had significant association with the job time of work and BMI. CONCLUSION: Musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian steel industries happened in high rate. Ergonomic interventions strategies into the workplaces must be focused to eliminate environmental hazards such as apposition on the time of work and manual handling of heavy loads.

Validity and reliability of the Persian (Farsi) version of the Job Content Questionnaire: a study among hospital nurses.

Stress is an increasingly important occupational health problem, even in developing countries suc as the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) is a widely used self-administered to measure dimensions of job stress in the workplace. This study describes the preparation of a Persian (Farsi) language version of the questionnaire (P-JCQ). In the first stage, linguistic validation was done by forward and backward translation. In the psychometric evaluation stage, the reliability and validity of the P-JCQ were explored among 107 hospital nurses in Shiraz city. Cronbach alpha coefficients for decision latitude and psychological job demands scales were 0.54 and 0.58 respectively and ranged from 0.64 to 0.85 for other scales. Exploratory factor analysis showed 3 meaningful factors that could explain support, psychological job demands and physical loads and hazard exposure. The P-JCQ has satisfactory linguistic validity and psychometric properties, provided the recommended factor pattern is used.

Validity and reliability of the Persian [Farsi] version of the Job Content Questionnaire: a study among hospital nurses

Stress is an increasingly important occupational health problem, even in developing countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Job Content Questionnaire [JCQ] is a widely used self-administered instrument to measure dimensions of job stress in the workplace. This study describes the preparation of a Persian [Farsi] language version of the questionnaire [P-JCQ]. In the first stage, linguistic validation was done by forward and backward translation. In the psychometric evaluation stage, the reliability and validity of the P-JCQ were explored among 107 hospital nurses in Shiraz city. Cronbach alpha coefficients for decision latitude and psychological job demands scales were 0.54 and 0.58 respectively and ranged from 0.64 to 0.85 for other scales. Exploratory factor analysis showed 3 meaningful factors that could explain support, psychological job demands and physical loads and hazard exposure. The P-JCQ has satisfactory linguistic validity and psychometric properties, provided the recommended factor pattern is used

Prevalence of mental disorders among shift work hospital nurses in Shiraz, Iran.

The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of mental disorders among shift work hospital nurses in Shiraz. One thousand one hundred and ninety five nurses from 12 general hospitals were investigated by Persian version of General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) as screen tool. Using a checklist, structured observations were made to assess working environment. Selecting a score of 6 in GHQ-28 as cut-off point, 45.4% of nurses were found to suffer from mental disorders and this was more common among females. Similarly, anxiety and somatic symptoms were more prevalent than other types of mental disorders (43.2 and 34.5%, respectively). The prevalence of depression and social dysfunction were 11.2 and 79.5%, respectively. Shift work was significantly associated with anxiety (p < 0.05). Likewise, marital status was significantly associated with depression and social dysfunction (p < 0.001). It was concluded that the mental health pattern in hospital nurses was similar to that of general Iranian population as the referent population. However, the prevalence rates of social dysfunction, somatisation and anxiety symptoms among the nurses were higher than the referent population.

Preterm delivery risk factors: a prevention strategy in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran.

From 3 February-5 March, 2000, 1117 pregnant women attending 36 health centres in Shiraz were categorized as high risk (n = 519) and low risk (n = 598) based on the presence of preterm delivery risk factors. High-risk women received training on strategies to reduce the risk of premature delivery. The frequencies of preterm delivery in the low- and the high-risk groups were 3.0% and 14.6% respectively (P < 0.001). The significant factors for preterm delivery were cervical dilation > 1 cm, premature uterine contractions, multifetal gestation and smoking. Premature delivery was significantly lower in the high-risk group compared with a similar group in a previous study who had not received training.

Preterm delivery risk factors: a prevention strategy in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

From 3 February-5 March, 2000, 1117 pregnant women attending 36 health centres in Shiraz were categorized as high risk [n = 519] and low risk [n = 598] based on the presence of preterm delivery risk factors. High-risk women received training on strategies to reduce the risk of premature delivery. The frequencies of preterm delivery in the low- and the high-risk groups were 3.0% and 14.6% respectively [P < 0.001]. The significant factors for preterm delivery were cervical dilation > 1 cm, premature uterine contractions, multifetal gestation and smoking. Premature delivery was significantly lower in the high-risk group compared with a similar group in a previous study who had not received training

Problems related to shiftwork for health care workers at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

A cross-sectional study of shiftwork-related problems was carried out among health care workers at hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran. Data on personal details, shift schedule and adverse effects of shiftwork were collected from 432 randomly selected subjects by questionnaire. Sleep, social and subjective problems were more prevalent in shiftworkers than day workers. Irregular shiftwork schedules caused more social and subjective problems, as well as work dissatisfaction. Voluntary selection of shiftworking produced fewer health problems.

Home accidents in rural and urban areas of Shiraz, 2000-02.

Data on home accidents for a 3-year period (2000-2002) were collected from health houses, health centres and hospitals involved in a home accident prevention programme in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 15 402 accidents were registered, with a mortality rate of 1.3%. Accidents were more common in women than in men (52.1% versus 47.9%) and urban than rural areas (66.3% versus 33.7%). Burns (66.5%), followed by injuries due to sharp objects (11.3%) were the most common causes. Accidents were more prevalent in children aged under 5 years, followed by 5-9 and 15-19 years of age.

Home accidents in rural and urban areas of Shiraz, 2000-02

Data on home accidents for a 3-year period [2000-2002] were collected from health houses, health centres and hospitals involved in a home accident prevention programme in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 15 402 accidents were registered, with a mortality rate of 1.3%. Accidents were more common in women than in men [52.1% versus 47.9%] and urban than rural areas [66.3% versus 33.7%]. Burns [66.5%], followed by injuries due to sharp objects [11.3%] were the most common causes. Accidents were more prevalent in children aged under 5 years, followed by 5-9 and 15-19 years of age

Problems related to shiftwork for health care workers at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

A cross-sectional study of shiftwork-related problems was carried out among health care workers at hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran. Data on personal details, shift schedule and adverse effects of shiftwork were collected from 432 randomly selected subjects by questionnaire. Sleep, social and subjective problems were more prevalent in shiftworkers than day workers. Irregular shiftwork schedules caused more social and subjective problems, as well as work dissatisfaction. Voluntary selection of shiftworking produced fewer health problems

Static anthropometric characteristics of students age range six-11 in Mazandaran province/Iran and school furniture design based on ergonomics principles.

This note describes the results of research into anthropometric measurement of children in Mazandaran province/Iran. Seventeen anthropometric measurements were taken from 1758 randomly selected subjects. Data obtained were used in school furniture design.