KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICE, AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF PROPER BODY MECHANICS AMONG NURSES WORKING IN HOSPITALS IN HARAR CITY, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Improper body mechanics during patient care tasks increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among nurses, leading to a high turnover rate and a shift to less physically demanding roles. Limited information exists about the nurse’s level of knowledge and application of proper body mechanics and factors that impact practice of proper body mechanics during patient care tasks in the study setting. Objective: The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, practice, and its associated factors of proper body mechanics among Nurses working in Hospitals in Harar City, Eastern Ethiopia Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 participants, from August 26 to September 26, 2024. A structured self-administered questionnaire adapted from relevant literature was used for the data collection. A simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. Both descriptive and analytical statistical tests were utilized. Binary logistic regression was applied. Variables having a p-value of <0.25 in the bi-variable analysis were included in the multivariable analysis, and variables with a p-value <0.05 were disclosed as statistically significant with the outcome variable.A total of 416 participants were included in the study, making the response rate of 99%. The median age of the respondents was 29 years, with an interquartile range from 27-32 years. Almost half of the participants (50.24%) had good knowledge about body mechanics while only 20.9% (CI=17.1-25.14) of the participants had good practice of proper body mechanics. Marital status (married) [AOR 0.51(0.27-0.94)], availability of transfer materials [AOR 4.34(1.65-11.39)], Nurse-to-patient ratio (1:10 or fewer patients) [AOR 2.91(1.08-7.85)], physical activity [AOR 2.46(1.33-4.53), and training on body mechanics [AOR 28.25(4.55-175.25)] were factors significantly associated with the practice of proper body mechanics among Nurses. Conclusion: This study revealed that almost half of the participants had good knowledge of body mechanics, but only one-fifth of the study participants had a good proper body mechanics practice. Therefore, stakeholders should devise strategies that enhance the knowledge of the nurses, and implementation of proper body mechanics.