Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among registered general nurses: a case of a large central hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe

Table 1 Sample characteristics (N = 117)

Variable	n (%)
Age (years)
20–29	36 (30.8)
30–39	60 (51.3)
40–49	15 (12.8)
≥ 50	6 (5.1)
Gender
Males	18 (15.4)
Females	99 (84.6)
Marital status
Married	81 (69.2)
Not married^a	36 (30.8)
Nursing qualification
Diploma	103 (88.0)
Degree	14 (12.0)
Working experience as a nurse (years)
≤ 5	41 (35.0)
> 5	76 (65.0)
Postgraduate ergonomic training
Yes	50 (42.7)
No	67 (57.3)
Area of work
Medical wards	54 (46.2)
Maternity wards	46 (39.3)
Surgical wards	7 (6.0)
Other wards^b	10 (8.5)
Ward rotations
Rotated	66 (56.4)
Not rotated	51 (43.6)
Have another job
Yes	25 (21.4)
No	92 (78.6)
First episode of WMSDs^c
Before training as a nurse	4 (3.6)
As a student nurse	35 (31.2)
First 5 years of working	59 (52.7)
Above 5 years	14 (12.5)

^aNot married meant not staying with a man or woman at the time of the study either single, widowed or divorced
^bCritical units i.e. intensive care unit (ICU), coronary care unit CCU, burns unit; theatre unit; outpatient department; casualty department
^cCalculated out of 112 who indicated for lifetime prevalence of WMSDs

ISSN: 1756-0500