Evaluation of an educational low back pain prevention program for hospitalemployees

Objectives. To evaluate the impact of an educational low back pain preventi on program in a cohort of hospital employees. Methods. A cohort of 136 nonc lerical hospital employees attended classes on safe postures and patient ha ndling, then received advice by educators who observed them while they perf ormed their typical workday tasks. Each of the subjects in this interventio n group was matched on age, sex, and job category with a control. Musculosk eletal complaints and changes in habits during work and recreational activi ties were evaluated before the intervention (or the corresponding date in t he control group) and after two years. Results. In the intervention group, 36% of subjects with low hack pain at baseline were free of this symptom at follow-up, whereas only 26% were in the opposite situation. The proportion of subjects with low back pain episodes lasting longer than 30 days increa sed significantly from baseline to follow-up in the control group (from 30% to 49%) but not in the intervention group. The number of sick leaves longe r than 30 days decreased significantly in the intervention group. Only 33% of the intervention group subjects felt the intervention had been helpful; this proportion varied across job categories. Conclusion. Our data suggest that differences in job categories should be taken into account when design ing educational programs for preventing low back pain. They also indicate t hat back school programs may be more effective in subjects with a history o f low back pain, whereas instruction on safe postures and patient handling may be the best approach in subjects who have not previously experienced lo w back pain. Observing and providing advice to employees while they are per forming their usual duties may be an essential component of low back pain p revention.