Abstract
This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module for 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.
A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at http://www.aaohn.org by December 2023; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.
Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:
Understand the current state of research into foot and ankle disorders in nurses.
List significant factors that may affect the development of foot and ankle disorders in nurses.
Identify the limitations of current literature in delineating possible interventions to prevent foot and ankle disorders in nurses.
The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).
Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.
The purpose of this scoping review was to: Delineate differences in nursing practice patterns across various specialties Characterize the relationship between prolonged standing and specific foot and ankle disorders Synthesize the main disorders found on nurses’ ankles and feet, their prevalence, the influence of hours spent walking or standing and gender differences None of the above
Prolonged walking and standing on the job are associated with physiological changes including: Better physical health and fitness Decreased blood circulation to the lower extremities, resulting in fatigue and pain The development of bunions and Morton’s neuromas The development of varicose veins and peripheral vascular disease
According to Anderson et al. (2018), prolonged standing results in a _____ increase in the risk of foot pain. (Fill in the blank) 2.0-fold 3.0-fold 0.9-fold 1.7-fold
Research focusing on nurses’ feet is: Scarce Equivocal Abundant Consistently non-significant
In general, female nurses: Were less likely than male nurses to report foot and ankle pain Were more likely than male nurses to report foot and ankle pain Had more ankle pain than male nurses Had less knee pain than male nurses
The authors cited the following reasons for a heterogeneity of reported symptoms: Different conceptual models used for different studies No comprehensively described pain’s location, radiation, onset mode, character, or intensity Different conceptual definitions that considered change or damage to the anatomical structures of the ankles or feet versus a functional definition graded in terms of severity All the above
Nurses’ foot and ankle disorders appeared to be multifactorial in nature. The following factors contributed to the incidence of foot and ankle disorders: Organizational, sociodemographic, and self-care behaviors Years in the profession, place in the nursing hierarchy, and educational background Attitude towards the job, number of workers compensation claims, and amount of lost time There were no factors identified that seem to be contributing to foot and ankle disorders
In studies where self-reported questionnaires were used versus more objective assessments: Prevalence rates of foot and ankle pain were lower Prevalence rates of foot and ankle pain were about the same Prevalence rates of foot and ankle pain were higher Prevalence rates of foot and ankle pain were equal among women but not men
Limitations of this scoping review include: No assessment of the methodological quality of the included studies No assessment of the average number of hours spent walking and standing No information on the type of footwear used by the nurse No information on the nurses’ prior co-morbidities All the above
The overall conclusion of this scoping review was: Failure to identify hazards that are present or could have been anticipated is a root cause of injuries Male nurses do report as many musculoskeletal conditions due to prolonged standing and walking Most studies focused on analyzing musculoskeletal disorders of the feet using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire Future studies must focus on developing evidence based, robust instruments that identify and classify foot and ankle disorders, standardizing data collection