Prevalence, Demographic and Non-Demographic Risk Factors of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Healthcare Workers in Five Referral Hospitals in the City of Douala, Cameroon: A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: Recent investigations suggest that environmental, psychosocial, non-specific job stressors such as work overload, and shift work could have a negative influence on the musculoskeletal systems of healthcare workers leading work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of WRMSDs among Healthcare workers in five reference hospitals in the City of Douala-Cameroon.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 among 561 healthcare workers working in five reference hospitals in the city of Douala, Cameroon. Participants were selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected with structured questionnaires; data on the demographics and risk factors were collected using a well-designed questionnaire while estimation of the prevalence of WRMSDs was done using the Modified Nordic questionnaire. The collected data was then cleaned and analyzed with the help of SPSS version 26 and as well as confidence interval calculator to calculate confidence intervals and odds ratios. Chi-square test was used to evaluate associations within groups and multivariate logistic regression was done to evaluate the risk factors associated with WRMSDs.

Results: The overall prevalence rate of WRMSDs among healthcare workers in Douala hospitals was 83.4% (468/561). The prevalence per professional groups was as follows: 88.8% (71) for Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS), 81.9% (289) for nurses, 80.8% (21) for Physiotherapists (PT) and 78.8% (41) for Medical Doctors (MD). There was a significant difference (X2 = 17.651; p = 0.001) in the prevalence of WRMSDs with respect to place of work where healthcare workers from HLD recorded the highest prevalence 89.9% (133/561), while Healthcare workers form NBDH where 3 times less likely (AOR = 2.91; 95% CI: 1.32-6.41; p = 0.001) to have WRMSDS than the other hospitals. With respect to body region, the highest prevalence of WRMSDs was recorded on the lower back, 58.8% (330/561) with the lowest at the elbows 11.2 % (63/561).

The age group 30 to 39 years was significantly associated with WRMSDs at level of the shoulder (p = 0.002), upper back (p = 0.019), elbows (p < 0.001), knees (p = 0.006) and ankle/feet (p = 0.047). Working on the same position (AOR = 2.90; 95% CI = 1.74-4.83; P = 0.001), working with vibrating objects (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.10-3.40; P = 0.022) and job stress (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.14-3.20; P = 0.014) were non-demographic risk factors associated with WRMSDs.

Conclusion: The general prevalence of WRMSDs among healthcare workers in Douala hospitals was high. The prevalence of WRMSDs is highest among MLS and nurses and the most affected body parts are; lower back, neck and upper back. Working on the same posture, working with vibrating objects, stressful job, and repetitive tasks were the major risk factors associated to WRMSDs among healthcare workers in Douala hospitals. Improving the working conditions, increase in staff, increased financial and administrative motivation may be key remedies to reduce the prevalence of WRMSDs among healthcare workers in Douala-Cameroon hospitals.