Musculoskeletal pain in healthcare professionals working in COVID-19 Intensive Care Units: multicenter and cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals have experienced a work overload that may be associated with increased pain intensity. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and intensity of musculoskeletal pain in the different anatomical regions reported by health professionals who worked in Intensive Care Units (ICU) during the pandemic and to investigate associations between clinical variables. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, analytical, quantitative and multicenter study carried out in six ICU between July 2021 and February 2022. The Nordic Questionnaire of Musculoskeletal Symptoms (QNSO) was used for data collection, as well as a questionnaire prepared by the researchers on sociodemographic, work and clinical data, and the visual numeric scale (VNS) for pain assessment. Analyses were carried out using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 205 health professionals. With regard to pain intensity, according to the visual analog scale (VAS), an average of 3.76 was observed. The analysis of the association between the variables indicated a greater intensity of pain in females, with a higher frequency of mild and moderate pain, age over 40, in the professional categories of nursing technicians and doctors. The presence of severe pain was associated with poor general health and shorter time in professional practice. CONCLUSION: Most of the professionals reported pain of varying intensity and in different anatomical regions, the most frequently cited being the upper back and neck. Musculoskeletal disorders are directly related to work activity, age, gender and lack of leisure time.