Effect of a Virtual Educational-Training Program on Behavioral Changes Related to Preventing Neck Pain Strategies among Nurses Working in Lorestan Province, Iran

The improper posture of nurses’ spinal column during work could increase the rate of neck pain among them. Various studies have shown that musculoskeletal disorders, including neck pain, are very common in medical staff, especially among nurses. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational-training program on Behavioral Changes Related to Preventing Neck Pain Strategies among Nurses Working in Lorestan Province , Iran

Method and Materials:

 This study was performed on 90 nurses in two experimental (N=45) and control (N=45) groups. In this study, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of the nurses regarding the neck proper posture. The program was shared through mobile phones and virtual networks, to reduce nurses’ misbehaviors by increasing their awareness and changing their attitudes. Data were collected before and three months after the intervention in both groups.

This study found that nurses obtained low scores in the areas of knowledge,attitude, and behavior before the intervention. There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of demographic characteristics and studied variables at initial of the study (p > 0.05); while after the educational-training program, the average scores of nurses in the experimental group increased in all three areas including knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (p < 0.001).

The present study showed that the ergonomic-based educational-training program can be effective in changing the behavior of nurses in order to prevent their neck pain. Therefore, it is recommended to use virtual educational-training programs in further researches in order to confirm its effectiveness to be able to be applied in health system.