Low Back Pain Management in Healthcare Workers in New York City

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Summary
Problem Statement
Preliminary Literature Review
Risk Factors
Consequences
Management
Proposal
Goal Statement
Methodology
References

Summary

The leading priority of all healthcare workers is to provide appropriate services to protect, manage, and improve peoples health conditions. However, this statement often leads to the fact that nurses and doctors experience is neglected. In other words, not many experts admit that these healthcare professionals can suffer from specific health issues while providing patients with the required assistance. Low back pain is among such problems, and it is relatively frequent worldwide. According to Alnaami et al. (2019), the global prevalence of the issue is between 15% and 45%. Sufficient evidence also demonstrates that healthcare workers are subject to the problem. In particular, 35%-80% of nurses stipulate that they have experienced low back pain episodes at least once during their professional practice (Richardson et al., 2018). This statement denotes that there is robust scientific interest in focusing on the issue under consideration.

Since statistical data demonstrates that low back pain is prevalent among healthcare professionals, it is reasonable to look at how these individuals manage the given condition. The rationale behind this statement is that medical workers require specific management practices or interventions that will protect them from the problem. Thus, it is necessary to conduct a particular research project to identify the most effective approaches to avoid and control low back pain. This research should follow appropriate scientific procedures and focus on a particular population. It seems rational to consider how healthcare workers from New York City address the problem and what steps they take to manage the health condition under consideration. The following paragraphs will present the basics of the suggested project, including a problem statement, literature review, proposal, goal statement, and methodology.

Problem Statement

Low back pain is a significant problem that adversely affects peoples health and overall well-being. This term stands for feelings of discomfort in the lower parts of the back, which makes individuals seek medical care (Tariq et al., 2022). When people suffer from the issue, it becomes more challenging for them to perform their work obligations and lead normal lives. This condition emerges when individuals are subject to regular physical load.

Sufficient evidence also explains why the problem should deserve attention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), people typically tend to ignore low back pain because they believe that it will resolve without interventions. However, this strategy is negative because the issue becomes a leading cause of disability, resulting in an $87-billion burden for the US healthcare industry annually (Tariq et al., 2022). In addition to that, Rezaei et al. (2021) indicate that contributing factors to the problem include the female gender, occupational factors, stress, age, and other conditions. That is why this condition is a significant problem in the healthcare industry.

The problem is widespread globally, but it is also necessary to consider its prevalence in the USA because several scholarly works present data in this format. According to Tariq et al. (2022), the prevalence of the condition among nurses in the USA can reach 90%. Richardson et al. (2018) support this statement and add that low back pain is widespread among licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and nurse aides. Finally, other experts admit that the estimated lifetime prevalence of lower back pain in health care personnel was 54.8% (Rezaei et al., 2021, p. 102903). This high prevalence admits that it is reasonable to investigate the issue in a research project.

Preliminary Literature Review

Since low back pain is a significant and prevalent problem in the healthcare industry, it is not surprising that many scholars address the topic. The given literature review will summarize the evidence from scholarly peer-reviewed articles that were published within the last five years to ensure that the research project relies on credible and timely data. The section is divided into three sub-headings according to the number of sub-themes.

Risk Factors

It has already been mentioned that many factors contribute to the spread of the problem. The article by Rezaei et al. (2021) provides a detailed overview of these phenomena. According to the scholars, the prevalence of the problems is connected to occupational factors, stress, gender, age, involvement in physical activity, and body-mass index (Rezaei et al., 2021). However, these authors also add that a body position at work is a leading prerequisite to the condition, meaning that whether a person manages to maintain a tall back can make a difference (Rezaei et al., 2021). That is why it is reasonable to consider other sources to investigate these risk factors.

Some authors can focus on the effect of a single issue. On the one hand, Vinstrup et al. (2020) admit that stress can play a leading role because the authors identified a connection between this psychosocial issue and low back pain. Parreira et al. (2018) also support this statement and add that constant stress increases the opportunity that low back pain will emerge. On the other hand, a cross-sectional study of more than 1,100 nurses revealed that being a female is associated with greater low back pain risks (Luan et al., 2018). However, it is challenging to mention that a single factor can contribute to the problem.

Other experts admit that a workplace routine fosters the spread of the problem among healthcare professionals, meaning that a combination of different factors leads to adverse outcomes. According to Andersen et al. (2019), a high number of patient transfers is a contributing issue because this practice results in excessive physical burden. In particular, the lack of assistive devices, including sliding sheets, walking aids, and intelligent beds, is associated with the problem (Andersen et al., 2019). These scholars also admit that poor collaboration in the workplace and insufficient support from colleagues lead to negative consequences (Andersen et al., 2019). Thus, it can be challenging to admit a single contributing factor.

Consequences

The condition under analysis requires attention because it leads to multiple adverse outcomes. According to Chen et al. (2018), adverse effects can include disability, depression, and the movement of pain to other body parts (for example, limbs). This information demonstrates that a long endurance of this condition can harm various systems in the human body. It is not necessary to neglect the fact that the issue results in a significant financial burden (Hartvigsen et al., 2018). The experts also comment on versatile negative impacts and highlight the fact that recurrence is common (Hartvigsen et al., 2018). This statement denotes that once this pain disappears, there is an opportunity that this condition will return.

Other scholarly articles provide additional arguments to highlight the adverse consequences of low back pain. As Kazemi et al. (2019) admit, the condition under analysis leads to negative impacts on nurses individual, social, and occupational spheres. This finding reveals that various systems suffer from adverse processes caused by low back pain. Furthermore, Overstreet and Goodin (2018) stipulate that there is a significant connection between this type of pain and emotion deregulation. This statement denotes that people with this condition have difficulties controlling and managing their emotions (Overstreet & Goodin, 2018). That is why it is impossible to underestimate the negative effects of low back pain on peoples health.

Management

Since the findings above represent multiple adverse consequences, it is reasonable to consider how this condition can be managed. Tariq et al. (2022) admit that sufficient attention should be drawn to the prevention of this issue. According to scholars, there are different prevention levels that include changing lifestyle behaviors, risk assessment, training in manual handling, cognitive behavior therapy, and other steps (Tariq et al., 2022). Simultaneously, interventions include the provision of lifting equipment, workplace education, and a healthy diet (Tariq et al., 2022). It seems that a combination of organizational and individual interventions is needed.

Since there exist many management approaches, it is reasonable to compare their effectiveness. Traeger et al. (2019) admit that physical and psychological therapies should be prioritized over surgery, steroid injections, and pain medication. The data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022) supports this suggestion and states that opioids are excessively prescribed even though their efficacy lacks supportive statements. Simultaneously, Foster et al. (2018) also admit that surgery, opioids, and imaging testing are overused in relation to low back pain. These experts insist that first-line treatments should be prioritized, including education, physical exercise, and psychological programs (Foster et al., 2018). It is worth admitting that these suggestions are more promising and cost-effective.

Proposal

The identified information demonstrates that it is reasonable to conduct a research project that will focus on low back pain management among healthcare workers. Firstly, sufficient evidence reveals that these individuals are subject to the given condition, and many risk factors contribute to this state of affairs. Secondly, the literature findings have demonstrated that if this issue is left untreated, negative consequences can emerge. For example, they include depression, disability, a higher financial burden, and other adverse issues. That is why it is necessary to implement specific management practices to minimize and avoid negative impacts. However, the literature review has also indicated that improper interventions are currently overused, while more efficient and cost-effective steps are ignored. It seems adequate to conduct a research project that will confirm or deny the impact of specific interventions.

In addition to that, it is reasonable to comment on the rationale behind focusing on New York City. According to the official statistics, there are more than 733 thousand people employed in the medical sphere in the given state (New York State Department of Health, 2022). These individuals perform significant tasks and provide the city with the 8-million population with essential services. Consequently, if doctors and nurses are subject to various health conditions, their ability to assist others is limited or even canceled. That is why the given proposal aims to address this situation and generate positive outcomes. If the project identifies that a specific intervention or combination thereof significantly limits the prevalence of low back pain among healthcare professionals, this fact will contribute to the emergence of evidence-based practice. Thus, it is rational to start conducting the suggested research paper.

Goal Statement

The given research project aims to achieve a specific goal. It is as follows: To determine to what extent the first-line treatments, including physical exercise, training, and psychological treatment, reduce the prevalence of low back pain cases among medical professionals in New York City. This statement denotes that it will be necessary to recruit nurses and other healthcare workers from single or many settings, subject them to the intervention, and analyze its impact.

Methodology

This project should be a prospective cohort study using a quantitative methodology.

References

Alnaami, I., Awadalla, N. J., Alkhairy, M., Alburidy, S., Alqarni, A., Algarni, A., Alshehri, R., Amrah, B., Alasmari, M., & Mahfouz, A. A. (2019). Prevalence and factors associated with low back pain among health care workers in southwestern Saudi Arabia. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 20(1), 1-7. Web.

Andersen, L. L., Vinstrup, J., Villadsen, E., Jay, K., & Jakobsen, M. D. (2019). Physical and psychosocial work environmental risk factors for back injury among healthcare workers: Prospective cohort study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), 4528. Web.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Acute low back pain. Web.

Chen, Y., Campbell, P., Strauss, V. Y., Foster, N. E., Jordan, K. P., & Dunn, K. M. (2018). Trajectories and predictors of the long-term course of low back pain: Cohort study with 5-year follow-up.Pain, 159(2), 252-260. Web.

Foster, N. E., Anema, J. R., Cherkin, D., Chou, R., Cohen, S. P., Gross, D. P., Ferreira, P. H., Fritz, J. M., Koes, B. W., Peul, W., Turner, J. A., Maher, C. G., Buchbinder, R., Hartvigsen, J., Cherkin, D., Foster, N. E., Maher, C. G., Underwood, M., van Tulder, M., & Woolf, A. (2018). Prevention and treatment of low back pain: Evidence, challenges, and promising directions.The Lancet, 391(10137), 2368-2383. Web.

Hartvigsen, J., Hancock, M. J., Kongsted, A., Louw, Q., Ferreira, M. L., Genevay, S., Hoy, D., Karppinen, J., Pransky, G., Sieper, J., Smeets, R. J., Underwood, M., & Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group (2018). What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. The Lancet, 391(10137), 2356-2367.

Kazemi, S. S., Tavafian, S. S., Hidarnia, A., & Montazeri, A. (2019). Consequences and factors affecting work-related low back pain among nursing professionals: A qualitative study. Payesh (Health Monitor), 18(3), 291-303. Web.

Luan, H. D., Hai, N. T., Xanh, P. T., Giang, H. T., Van Thuc, P., Hong, N. M., & Khue, P. M. (2018). Musculoskeletal disorders: Prevalence and associated factors among district hospital nurses in Haiphong, Vietnam. BioMed Research International, 2018. Web.

New York State Department of Health. (2022). New York State Department of Health highlights healthcare workforce booster progress and announces additional efforts to bring boosters directly to healthcare workers. Web.

Overstreet, D., & Goodin, B. (2018). Emotion dysregulation and potential consequences in people with chronic low back pain.The Journal of Pain, 19(3), S37. Web.

Parreira, P., Maher, C. G., Steffens, D., Hancock, M. J., & Ferreira, M. L. (2018). Risk factors for low back pain and sciatica: An umbrella review.The Spine Journal, 18(9), 1715-1721. Web.

Rezaei, B., Mousavi, E., Heshmati, B., & Asadi, S. (2021). Low back pain and its related risk factors in health care providers at hospitals: A systematic review.Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 70, 102903. Web.

Richardson, A., McNoe, B., Derrett, S., & Harcombe, H. (2018). Interventions to prevent and reduce the impact of musculoskeletal injuries among nurses: A systematic review.International Journal of Nursing Studies, 82, 58-67. Web.

Tariq, R. A., George, J. S., Ampat, G., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2022). Back safety. StatPearls Publishing.

Traeger, A. C., Buchbinder, R., Elshaug, A. G., Croft, P. R., & Maher, C. G. (2019). Care for low back pain: Can health systems deliver? Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 97(6), 423-433. Web.

Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., & Andersen, L. L. (2020). Perceived stress and low-back pain among healthcare workers: A multi-center prospective cohort study.Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 297. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!