Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Medical Practitioners in the Hospitals of Al’Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

IntroductionWork-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have a significant impact on the workplace; they have been growing as a problem in our population, especially among healthcare practitioners. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of the condition, evaluate the WMSDs experienced by practitioners in different specialties in different hospitals in the Al’Qassim region, and study various risk factors that contribute to the development of WMSDs.MethodsAfter gaining the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a cross-sectional study was conducted among all medical care practitioners at hospitals in the Al’Qassim region. Data were collected using a validated, standardized, and self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the SAS software version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC).Results The study result revealed that out of 382 participants, just over half (209, 54.7%) experienced WMSDs. Among them, 103 (27.54%) were males, and 271 (72.54%) were females. The average age of participants was 31.25 ±6.82 years. Participants with experience of 6-10 years were twice as likely to develop WMSDs compared to participants with fewer years of experience [odds ratio (OR): 2.342; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.062-5.168; p = 0.0350]. There was no significant difference in terms of past medical history between the two groups except for the history of having low back pain, which was more common in participants with WMSDs (77.59% versus 22.41%; p: