The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association
of worker characteristics and work organization factors with prevalence of
patient-handling injury among nursing personnel in an acute-care inpatient
setting. Self-administered questionnaires (n = 585) captured worker
characteristics and patient-handling injuries within the previous 6 months.
Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire measured work organization factors,
including job strain (high psychological demand, low decision latitude). We
created a novel measure (job strain
$_{PHYSICAL}$
) reflecting high physical
demand and low decision latitude, providing a more direct physiologic link to
our outcome. Log-binomial regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios
(PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Patient-handling injuries were
prevalent (35%), and incident reports were filed infrequently for injuries
receiving medical care. Prevalence of injury was higher among aides compared to
nurses [adjusted PR 1.4, 95%CI (1.1–1.8)] as well as among those with high
[adjusted PR 1.6, 95%CI (1.2–2.4)] or mid [adjusted PR 1.9, 95%CI
(1.4–2.7)] levels of job dissatisfaction. The novel definition of job strain
(job strain
$_{PHYSICAL}$
: high physical demand, low decision latitude) was
more strongly associated with patient-handling injury than the traditional
definition of job strain (high psychological demand, low decision latitude).
These findings add to a growing body of literature on the highly contextual
nature of work organization factors.
