STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an ergonomic and psychosocial intervention in reducing low back pain (LBP) among health care workers. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LBP and injuries are reported frequently among health care workers worldwide. Improvement of person-transfer techniques is the preferred tool in the prevention of both. Although popular, to our knowledge, any effect has not been documented in controlled trials. METHODS:Study participants were eldercare workers from 19 eldercare groups randomly assigned to thetransfer technique, stress management, or reference arm. A total of 163 individuals (79% of the source population) participated in both baseline and follow-up after 2 years. Outcome was intra-individual change in rating of LBP during the past 3 and 12 months. RESULTS: We found no difference in LBP in any of the intervention arms over the study period. CONCLUSION: The study showed no effect of a transfer technique or stress management program targeting LBP. Thus, there is a need for discussing other priorities in the prevention of LBP among health care workers.
RCT Entities:
STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an ergonomic and psychosocial intervention in reducing low back pain (LBP) among health care workers. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LBP and injuries are reported frequently among health care workers worldwide. Improvement of person-transfer techniques is the preferred tool in the prevention of both. Although popular, to our knowledge, any effect has not been documented in controlled trials. METHODS: Study participants were eldercare workers from 19 eldercare groups randomly assigned to the transfer technique, stress management, or reference arm. A total of 163 individuals (79% of the source population) participated in both baseline and follow-up after 2 years. Outcome was intra-individual change in rating of LBP during the past 3 and 12 months. RESULTS: We found no difference in LBP in any of the intervention arms over the study period. CONCLUSION: The study showed no effect of a transfer technique or stress management program targeting LBP. Thus, there is a need for discussing other priorities in the prevention of LBP among health care workers.
Authors: Jessica M Tullar; Shelley Brewer; Benjamin C Amick; Emma Irvin; Quenby Mahood; Lisa A Pompeii; Anna Wang; Dwayne Van Eerd; David Gimeno; Bradley Evanoff Journal: J Occup Rehabil Date: 2010-06
Authors: Kari-Pekka Martimo; Jos Verbeek; Jaro Karppinen; Andrea D Furlan; Esa-Pekka Takala; P Paul F M Kuijer; Merja Jauhiainen; Eira Viikari-Juntura Journal: BMJ Date: 2008-01-31
Authors: Bianca Kusma; Aki Pietsch; Helge Riepenhof; Sören Haß; Daniel Kuhn; Klaus Fischer; Albert Nienhaus Journal: J Occup Med Toxicol Date: 2019-06-20 Impact factor: 2.646