Correlation of Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Disability Index of Non-specific Low Back Pain among Nursing Staff

Background: In Pakistan, nurses are pivotal in healthcare, often facing musculoskeletal discomfort, with low back pain being particularly prevalent. Given their vital role in patient care, understanding the extent of this issue is crucial for improving their work conditions and health outcomes. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and impact of low back pain among nurses in Pakistani healthcare facilities, particularly focusing on those working in gynecology and obstetrics wards. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over six months, involving 150 nurses from gynecology and obstetrics wards across four major hospitals in Lahore. The Oswestry Low Back Disability Questionnaire and the Numerical Pain Rating Scale were employed for data collection. Analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23, with a significance level set at 0.05. Results: The study found that 58.7% of the nurses experienced low back pain, while 41.3% did not. A strong correlation (0.887) was observed between the Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Disability Index, with a highly significant p-value of 0.000, indicating statistical significance at the 0.01 level. Conclusion: The study concludes that nurses working morning shifts in gynecology and obstetrics wards are more likely to report higher average pain scores. Additionally, the strong correlation between the Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Disability Index underscores the relationship between pain intensity and disability in this group.