Ergonomic mapping of work‐related musculoskeletal disorders and stress among Indian healthcare workers: An overview

• Published date: 01 May 2022
• Author: Sanjib K. Das,Vasundhara Pathak,Tania Chakraborty
• Date: 01 May 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2478

ACADEMIC PAPER

Ergonomic mapping of work-related musculoskeletal disorders

and stress among Indian healthcare workers: An overview

Sanjib K. Das

1

| Vasundhara Pathak

2

| Tania Chakraborty

2

1

Amity Institute of Physiotherapy, Amity

University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

2

Ergonomics & Human Factors, National

Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai,

India

Correspondence

Sanjib K. Das, Amity Institute of

Physiotherapy,Amity University, Noida, Uttar

Pradesh, India.

Email: sanjib_bpt@yahoo.co.in

The hospitals and nursing homes contribute 49% of the Indian healthcare delivery.

Doctors and nurses, who comprise the major chunk of the healthcare sector, are vul-

nerable to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) during the course of their work routine.

Arduous workplace tasks of the doctors include regular walking from ward to ward,

constant bending over the bed while physically examining patients, prolonged sitting

in outpatient clinics to meet the work demands. Nurses perform a wide variety of

activities and are usually responsible for implementation of the care plan the doctor

sets up for the patient, sometimes even in back-to-back shifts. A sample of

650 female nurses from nine Indian hospitals and 108 male doctors from four Indian

hospitals was carried out. The findings revealed that nurses face considerable occu-

pational stress, moderate levels of quality of life (QoL) and a high prevalence of

MSDs. Pain and discomfort in low back, knee, neck and shoulder were found to be

the most prevalent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among nurses.

In doctors, the results showed that the occurrence of WMSDs was most prevalent in

lower back, followed by ankles/feet, knees and neck. Visual Analogue Scale revealed

significant differences in the morning and evening scores. The mean total work style

score exceeded the standardized limits which suggested that the work style of doc-

tors working in Indian hospitals was at risk which may precipitate psychosocial stress.

The conclusion drawn will immensely benefit the healthcare industry in developing

administrative reforms and implementing welfare policy initiatives to provide a con-

genial working environment enhancing their QoL and better health system.

1|INTRODUCTION

Healthcare industry is one of India's largest and rapidly expanding

sectors, in terms of revenue and employment. During the 1990s,

Indian healthcare grew at a compound annual rate of 16%. Today,

the total value of the sector is more than $35 billion. It has been

reported that 7 of the 20 fastest growing sectors are healthcare

related; nearly 77% of healthcare establishments are offices of physi-

cians, dentists, or other health practitioners (Pathak, Chakraborty, &

Mukhopadhyay, 2013).

In India, healthcare delivery includes hospitals, nursing homes,

diagnostic centers, some ancillary activities like health insurance,

healthcare software and medical equipment. The hospitals and nursing

homes contribute 49% of the Indian healthcare delivery. India is one

of the most favored destinations for medical tourism, currently esti-

mated to be a US $2 billion industry and could be easily a $5 billion

industry in the next decade. According to a report of the National

Health profile (2006), more than 1.4 million workforces is engaged in

this sector, and their numbers have increased from a modest 1,650 in

1951 to the present level, that is, about 100 times increase in the

number of nursing employees. Despite an increase in the number of

doctors, the doctor/population ratio now stands at a staggering

1:1800.

Musculoskeletal complaints affect a wide variety of workers in

the healthcare industry and appear to be an imperative problem for

nurses and doctors (Kant, de Jong, Rijssen-Moll, & Bonn, 1992; Smith,

Received: 16 June 2020 Revised: 5 September 2020 Accepted: 7 September 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2478

J Public Affairs. 2022;22:e2478. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 1of8

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2478