A systematic review of work-related problems among occupational therapists and physical therapists

Work related injury (WRI) can cause problems such as change or loss in job, fatigue and burnout. Injury prevalence has increased from 10.2% to 13.5% in the U.S. therapists since 2004 to 2006. At least 3,700 physiotherapists and 900 occupational therapists membership in Iranian Medical Council and developments of occupational therapy and physical therapy domains are involved in our country and the growing trend of student admissions in these fields and also limited researches in work-related problems of therapists, there would be a challenge in research studies. The overall goal of this systematic review was to survey the prevalence of work-related problems, predisposing factors and causes of these problems among therapists and finally predict problems of Iranian occupational therapy and physiotherapy population. By performing the five stages of an evidence based systematic review with regard to the selection criteria obtained from related articles, looking for articles were done through using internet databases, reference books and Citation review. At first, 50 articles were obtained. Finally, this study reviewed 25 articles in the last two decades in different parts of Iran and the world (1990-2010). It was clarified that muscular injuries were of the most common types of damages caused by these works. Injuries were seen in most particularly in public, orthopedic and acute settings. Low back pain was remarkably reported. Age under30 years, inexperience and heavy work were some of the risk factors. Improper handling was determined as the main cause of injuries in therapists. Besides musculoskeletal injuries, common psychosocial problems were depression, anger and job frustration. Finally, considering culture and job characteristics of the Iranian therapists, the data and results were compared and discussed to predict different aspects of WRI in Iranian therapists.