Work-related musculoskeletal disorders and work instability of nursing professionals.

Introduction: Characteristics of nursing work in hospital units expose professionals to risk factors that may favor instability at work and the development of work-related osteomuscular disorders, which may cause them to become ill and consequently different levels of incapacity to work.

Objectives: to analyze the association between work instability of nursing professionals and the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study with quantitative approach of the data, performed in a hospital in the city of Ribeirão Preto - São Paulo. We used the Nurse-Work Instability Scale and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, with nursing professionals workers of an adult and pediatric intensive care center and of internment units of orthopedic, neurosurgery and head/neck surgery.

Results: 111 nursing professionals participated in the study, 25.2% presented low risk of instability, 44.1% medium risk and 30.6% high risk. Statistical associations were found between instability and the variables sectors of work (p = 0.004) and work-related osteomuscular disorders in the regions: neck (p = 0.001), shoulders (p = 0.000), upper back (p = 0.007), elbow (p = 0.005), wrist (p = 0.002), lower back (p = 0.046), hip/thighs (p = 0.006), knees (p = 0.021), ankles and feet (p = 0.011).

Conclusions: There is an association between instability at work and the presence of osteomuscular disorders related to the work of nursing professionals. Interventions are needed for instability precedes disability and is intrinsically related to absenteeism and early retirement.