Citation

Bhimani R. Rehabil. Nurs. 2014; 41(2): 91-100.

Affiliation

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Department of Nursing, St. Catherine University, Saint Paul, MN, USA; Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Association of Rehabilitation Nursing, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/rnj.187

PMID

25425040

Abstract

PURPOSE: The incidence and prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal nursing injuries is a top concern for nurses. These injuries are thought to be a dynamic interplay of multiple factors. A literature review reveals a knowledge gap in understanding context-specific patterns of nursing injuries.

DESIGN: Using a cross-sectional descriptive research design, 58 rehabilitation nurses participated in this study.

METHODS: Anonymous paper surveys were sent to all rehabilitation nursing personnel on the unit.

FINDINGS: Six themes emerged: lack of time and help, patient acuity, ergonomics, body movement issues, knowledge deficit, and communication.

CONCLUSIONS: Nursing input is critical in understanding and reducing context-specific work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Further research that includes nursing voices is advocated. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Rehabilitation nursing injuries appear to be a complex interaction of multiple determinants; therefore, multifaceted solutions using a quality improvement lens are recommended to improve the working conditions on the units.

Language: en