Riesgos ergonómicos que presenta el personal de enfermería en el área hospitalaria en América Latina

Abstract

Abstract Ergonomic risks in nursing professionals constitute a growing health problem due to the impact they have upon the quality of life bringing long-term complications, for which it is necessary to take preventive measures. Objective: To identify the ergonomic risks to which nursing personnel are exposed at hospital level in Latin America. Methodology: A literature review was conducted through an exhaustive search in different scientific databases, such as Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Medigraphic, Redalyc, Scielo, as well as institutional pages as the International Labor Organization, selecting 51 relevant articles that were published between 2016-2021. Results: Ergonomic risks in nursing are manifested as a contemporary problem where the labor demand is high and the professional's quality of life is impaired; being the most frequent MSDs at cervical, dorsal, lumbar and extremities level, bringing repercussions at physical and psychological level. Conclusions: the ergonomic risks to which the nursing staff is exposed constitute an alarming health problem due to the unwise management of ergonomic measures, which are affected by long working hours, absenteeism, insufficient material, and shortage of physical space according to their needs, this has been deteriorating the quality of life of nurses causing musculoskeletal discomfort, myalgia, and sleep disorders. Owing to these risk factors, it is necessary to implement preventive measures in order to safeguard the health of workers. Keywords: ergonomics, nursing, risk, postures, quality of life.