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Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Midwives and Work-Related Contributory Risk Factors

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Book cover Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018) (IEA 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 820))

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Abstract

This paper presents an exploration of work related musculoskeletal symptoms and contributory factors in midwives. Data were collected with a survey (n = 635) and interviews (n = 15). The survey results showed that the majority of midwives (92%) reported musculoskeletal discomfort within the last 12 months, most commonly for the low back, neck and shoulders. The suggested main contributory factors were awkward working positions, increased work load with longer shifts and fewer breaks, and less support leading to defensive practice. The results of this research indicate that musculoskeletal symptoms are a problem among midwives with serious impacts. Strategies should be developed to manage risk factors to improve patient safety and staff well-being.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

    Kubra Okuyucu, Sue Hignett & Diane Gyi

  2. University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK

    Angie Doshani

Authors
  1. Kubra Okuyucu
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  2. Sue Hignett
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  3. Diane Gyi
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  4. Angie Doshani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kubra Okuyucu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of the Republic of San Marino, San Marino, San Marino

    Sebastiano Bagnara

  2. Centre for Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety, Tuscany Region, Florence, Italy

    Riccardo Tartaglia

  3. Centre for Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety, Tuscany Region, Florence, Italy

    Sara Albolino

  4. Fraunhofer FKIE, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Thomas Alexander

  5. International Ergonomics Association, Tokyo, Japan

    Yushi Fujita

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Okuyucu, K., Hignett, S., Gyi, D., Doshani, A. (2019). Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Midwives and Work-Related Contributory Risk Factors. In: Bagnara, S., Tartaglia, R., Albolino, S., Alexander, T., Fujita, Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018). IEA 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 820. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96083-8_8

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