THE IMPACT OF MULTI-SITE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN ON WORK ABILITY AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN HOSPITAL PERSONNEL

Abstract

Objective: to determine the negative impact of multi-site musculoskeletal pain on work ability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in health care providers at Phramongkutklao Hospital Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants completed a self-administrated paper questionnaire comprising basic characteristics, job satisfaction, Srithanya stress screening, musculoskeletal pain in the neck, upper extremity, low back, and lower extremity region within the last month, work ability index, and HRQoL questionnaire (Thai SF-36v2). Musculoskeletal pain was divided in 3 groups: 1) no pain, 2) few pain sites (1 to 2 regions), and 3) many pain sites (3 to 4 regions). The association of the number of pain sites with poor work ability and decreased SF-36v2 score was analyzed by multivariable regression analysis. Results: A total of 254 health care providers participated in the present study. The majority of participants were female (73.2%) with mean age of 33.9 years (SD 9.5). Prevalence of participants who had few pain sites and many pain sites were 31.1% and 15.4%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio for poor work ability of few pain sites and many pain sites were 1.85 (95% CI: 0.91 – 3.76) and 2.41 (95% CI: 1.04 – 5.58), respectively. Each subscale score of the Thai SF-36v2 was significantly lower in participants with pain than in those without pain. Conclusion: The present study showed that multi-site musculoskeletal pain had a negative impact on work ability and HRQoL. The impact was likely to be increased by higher number of pain sites.