Practice of Proper Body Mechanics Technique and Associated Factors among Nurses During Patients Care in Resource Limited Setting, Northwest, Ethiopia

Abstract

Molla Fentanew, Melisew Mekie, Jemal Suleyman, Ruth Elias, Tesfa Kassa, Gashaw Jember and Alemu Birara Zemariam

Introduction: Body mechanics refers to how we hold our bodies while sitting, standing, lifting, carrying, bending, and sleeping. When we do not move properly and safely, the spine is subjected to abnormal stresses, which can lead to degeneration of spinal structures such as discs and joints, injury, and unnecessary wear and tear over time. As a result, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the practice of proper body mechanics technique and associated factors among nurses at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia in 2022.

Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out at an institution. The data was gathered from the respondents using a self- administered questionnaire. The Thurstone scale was used to score the questions, which were either yes or no. The collected data were cleaned, coded, entered into epi-data software, and exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic analysis were used to test the significance of dependent and independent variable associations using AOR at 95% CI. In multivariate logistic analysis, p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Result: This study included a total of 258 nurses, with a 100% response rate. 37.2% of respondents practice proper body mechanics on a regular basis. Knowledge (P=0.001), equipment used for patient transfer (P=0.041), ergonomics (P=0.027), attire (shoes) (P=0.00), and nurse per patient ratio (P=0.034) were the factors associated with the practice of proper body mechanics in a multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Conclusion: The practice of proper body mechanics is uncommon in our study area. Knowledge, patient transfer equipment, ergonomics, attire (shoes), and nurse-to-patient ratio were all significantly associated with proper body mechanics practice.

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