Nurses' Knowledge and Practice toward the Prevention of Low Back Pain Related to Work in Al-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital

Aims: Nurses are more susceptible to low back pain rather than other Healthcare workers. The present study aimed to assess nurses' knowledge and practice toward the prevention of low back pain related to work and to find out the association between nurses' knowledge and practice with their demographic characteristics. Instruments & Methods: This descriptive analysis study was conducted on nurses at Al-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital, Diwaniyah City, Iraq, from 1 March 2022 until 30 October 2022. Fifty nurses were selected by a purposive sampling (non-probability) method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire regarding nurses' knowledge of prevention low back pain related to work and an observational checklist to assess nurses’ practice. Data were analyzed using a Chi-square test by SPSS 23 software. Findings: The majority of nurses (60.0%) had a fair level of knowledge, and the mean score of nurses' knowledge was 0.48±0.21. Also, 50.0% of nurses had a low level of practice, and the mean score of nurses' practice was 1.75±0.45. There was a significant relationship between nurses' knowledge and education level (p=0.003). However, there was a significant relationship between nurses' practice and gender, education level, years of experience in nursing, and the workplace in hospital (p<0.05). Conclusion: Most of the nurses in Al-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital, have a fair level of knowledge and a low level of practice in the prevention of low back pain related to work.

Nurses' Knowledge and Practice toward the Prevention of Low Back Pain Related to Work in Al-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital Keywords:

Nurses , Knowledge , Practice , Prevention , Low Back Pain