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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2020; 12(02): 108-117
DOI: 10.4103/ijmbs.ijmbs_56_20
Original Article

Low back pain among healthcare personnel in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Alexander Woodman
1   Vice Deanship of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran
,
Mohammed Homan
2   Department of Neuroscience, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam
,
Asim Niaz
3   Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam
,
Lamiaa Al-Jamea
4   Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran
,
Mahmood Akhtar
5   Department of Biomedical Research Administration, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam
,
Mohammed Sager
6   Department of Clinical Trials, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam
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Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a complex condition with several determinants contributing to its occurrence. LBP is defined as pain that persists for 12 weeks or longer. The prevalence of work-related LBP among health-care personnel in Saudi Arabia affects both the healthcare personnel and the quality of patient care. Aim: The aim of this study was to review the epidemiology of LBP among the healthcare personnel in Saudi Arabia and wellness programs aimed at decreasing the rate of LBP. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using relevant keywords to search for studies conducted in Saudi Arabia regarding LBP among healthcare personnel. After selecting the inclusion criteria and epidemiological measures of LBP for the current research as well as obtaining full texts for the study, a total of 13 articles were used. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the current systematic review. Nurses and dentists were among the most vulnerable groups, constantly experiencing LBP due to long working hours, standing, as well as stress. Physical and occupational therapists and surgeons were experiencing LBP and generalized myalgia due to the work stress caused by the overcommitment at work and a high number of treated patients. Emergency medical services personnel reported a very high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Based on the results of the reviewed studies, most of the participants experienced the prevalence of the LBP within the last 12 months. Conclusion: LBP has multifactorial risks, etiology, and increased evidence and prevalence among healthcare personnel in Saudi Arabia. The results show that there is good reason to conduct an in-depth study of available best practice interventions aimed at preventing LBP among healthcare personnel. Future studies in Saudi Arabia should focus on creating workplace wellness programs and on assessing risk factors as well as preventing LBP.

Key-words:

Epidemiology - healthcare personnel - incidence - interventions - low back pain - prevalence - productivity rate - risk - Saudi Arabia - workplace wellness

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.




Publication History

Received: 20 May 2020

Accepted: 17 June 2020

Article published online:
07 July 2022

© 2020. The Libyan Authority of Scientific Research and Technologyand the Libyan Biotechnology Research Center. All rights reserved. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License,permitting copying and reproductionso long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, oradapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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