Occupational health and musculoskeletal symptoms among Indian Medical Laboratory technicians

  Background: Musculoskeletal diseases are quite common among healthcare professionals including medical laboratory technicians. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and ergonomic risk factors in Indian medical laboratory technicians.   Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised of 130 male and female laboratory technicians from the Indian healthcare industry. Samples were selected based on convenient random sampling. Data was collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC) to evaluate the ergonomic risk factors present in Indian medical laboratories. Statistical tools applied in the present study include frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviations, independent t-test, and chi-square test.   Results: Results indicated that the major percentage of technicians (66.9%) had suffered from some kind of musculoskeletal symptoms during the last 12 months. The highest prevalence was reported in the back (44%), knees (20.7%), and neck region (18.4%). This indicated that musculoskeletal problems are prevalent among Indian medical laboratory technicians. The results showed that the levels of exposure to musculoskeletal risks were high or very high among 85.3% of technicians. The statistical analysis showed an insignificant association between the level of risk factors and the prevalence of musculoskeletal issues (P>0.05). The most common risk factors found to be awkward postures, prolonged standing, inappropriate workstation arrangement.   Conclusions: Ergonomic interventions in terms of reducing risk factors, improving workstation design, eliminating awkward postures, and providing some physical training to improve upon their musculoskeletal fitness level are recommended.