Musculoskeletal Disorders in Emergency Medical Services Staff: Predictors and Relationship With Occupational Stress

• Published in: Health in emergencies and disasters quarterly Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 301 - 314
• Main Authors: Kamali, Nasrin, Amini, Zakiyeh, Hatami, Seyed Hojjat, Khatib, Kasra, Mohammadi, Sara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Negah Institute for Scientific Communication 01.07.2025
• Subjects: emergency medical technicians; job stress; musculoskeletal disorders (msd); occupational stress; prehospital
• ISSN: 2345-4210; 2345-4210
• DOI: 10.32598/hdq.10.4.632.1

Background: Due to the nature of their work, prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) staff are prone to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) as well as work-related psychological and social stress. Early diagnosis can prevent these disorders or reduce their complications. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of MSD and their predictors in prehospital EMSs staff. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2022 on prehospital EMSs staff of Bojnourd City, Iran, who were selected by census method. Three tools, the demographic characteristics questionnaire, Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, and Aghainejad occupational stress questionnaire, were used to collect information. They were analyzed using descriptive statistics, univariate and multiple logistic regression. Results: Of 85 people who participated in the study, 87.1% had MSD in at least one body area over the last year, and the most common area was the lower back (63.5%). The factors predicting MSD, namely organizational stress (OR=12.477; 95% CI, 1.506%, 103.367%; P=0.019), occupational stress (OR=3.919; 95% CI, 1.072%, 14.327%; P=0.039), age (OR=0.152; 95% CI, 0.032%, 0.717%; P=0.017) and exercise (OR=17.130; 95% CI, 3.110%, 94.342%; P=0.001) were identified using multiple regression. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate a high prevalence of MSD as well as an unfavorable rate of occupational stress among the research subjects. Therefore, it is suggested that interventional measures and an effective approach be adopted to help improve the health and quality of work-related factors and increase the productivity of personnel.