Date on Paper

7-2019

Document Type

Doctoral Paper

Degree Name

D.N.P.

Committee Chair

Barbara Polivka

Committee Member

Becky Christian

Author's Keywords

musculoskeletal injuries; operating room (OR); anti-fatigue mats; pain

Abstract

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) are a common occurrence among operating room (OR) personnel due to certain job requirements including standing in a static position for long periods of time. The American Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) ergonomic guidelines support interventions (anti-fatigue mats, shoe in-soles, etc.) aimed at decreasing the rates of WRMDs among OR personnel. A 3-month pre- and post-intervention trial was established at one Southern Indiana hospital to assess the efficacy of anti-fatigue mats in the OR theatre. Two anti-fatigue mats were placed in each OR, cardiovascular operating room (CVOR), and endoscopy room for use with each case. Prior to implementation, an education session was provided to staff regarding use and care for the mats. Measures assessed include demographic data, height, weight, pain (utilizing a modified Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire), weekly observations on the use of the mats, and overall satisfaction with mat usage, availability, and continued use. Data were collected before mat implementation (T1) from a cohort of 48 OR personnel and 3-months after continued mat usage (T2) from a cohort of 30 OR personnel. While results failed to show statistical significance between pre- and post-pain levels, the T2 cohort did show decreases in overall pain levels impacting normal work when compared to the T1 cohort. Satisfaction survey results found that 86% of OR, CVOR, and endoscopy staff reported continued use of anti-fatigue mats at the completion of T2. Future studies should include larger sample sizes, longer intervention time frames, pre-post paired assessments, and occur in areas not currently using anti-fatigue.

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