Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Staff at Selected Laboratories in Kampala

Abstract Background Laboratory (lab) personnel are a key component of the health care system whose daily tasks involve static and sustained awkward postures with repetitive motions that increase ergonomic risks to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This may be attributed to inadequate staff numbers, staff qualifications and workload for prolonged periods however, there is a knowledge gap as regards the MSDs experienced. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and factors associated with work related MSDs (WMSDs) among staff at selected labs in Kampala. Methods A cross sectional study on 203 consecutively sampled lab personnel practicing at the selected labs in Kampala was conducted. A pretested modified standardized Nordic questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was entered in EpiData v4.6 and analyzed using STATA v14. The prevalence of WMSDs was estimated as a proportion of the entire sample size. Analysis for factors associated was done by modified Poisson regression reporting robust standard errors through the survey window to control for clustering at lab level and section level. Ethical approval was sought from School of medicine research and ethics committee. Results The prevalence of WMSDs among the laboratory personnel was 48.3% (95%CI: 33.2–63.3). At multivariate analysis, sex (aPR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.19–1.57), work involving repetitive motions (aPR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.16–0.73), taking rest breaks at work (aPR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52–0.88) and physical exercise (aPR: 0.77 95% CI: 0.63–0.93) were significantly associated with WMSDs in this population. Conclusions Approximately 5 out of every 10 laboratory personnel in this study had experienced at least one or more WMSDs within the past 12 months. Sex, repetitious work, work rest breaks and physical exercise were significantly associated with WMSDs in this population. Increased awareness of injury prevention at the workplace and modification of the occupational safety and health policy to include details about the specifics of the interventions required to prevent WMSDs is encouraged.