Investigating Musculoskeletal Discomforts and Its Relation to Workplace Ergonomic Conditions among Computer Office Workers at Alzahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran

Musculoskeletal disorders are relatively prevalent in office employees at hospitals. These disorders are related to several ergonomic risk factors including failure to accommodate physical job demands, repetitive motions, contact stress, and poor or inappropriate body postures. This study was conducted to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders in computer office workers at Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran. We performed this cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study at Alzahra hospital on summer 2014. Overall, 71 office workers were enrolled in the study via systematic sampling method. Ergonomic risk factors were evaluated using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) checklist. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) was used to assess musculoskeletal disorders. We analyzed the data using Spearman and Pearson correlation tests. Musculoskeletal discomfort was mostly prevalent in neck, low back and shoulder area, respectively. 97.2 percent of participants had ROSA final scores of 5 and more. Spearman correlation test showed a direct relationship between the ROSA final score and severity of musculoskeletal discomfort in upper limb area including arm, forearm and wrist (P < 0.05); this relationship did not exist for other parts of the body. Based on the ROSA scores, most of the computer workers were prone to musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to make proper ergonomic interventions targeting body postures and work place improvements.