Multifaceted Physioterapeutic Intervention at Workplace

How a Multifaceted Physioterapeutic Intervention Can Manage Musculoskeletal Disorders in a Hearing Aid Industry

BACKGROUND: Individual approaches at the workplace might not be sufficient to control Work Related Musculoskeletal Diseases (WMSDs) since they are multifactorial and refractory cases might need an additional rehabilitation program.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate multifaceted intervention efficacy to manage the WMSDs.

METHODS: A Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was applied pre and post intervention to determine the efficacy of a multifaceted program, including ergonomics, exercise program and acupuncture/physical therapy exercises orientation at the workplace in 126 workers of a hearing-aid industry. Additionally, a self-perception survey (Likert scale) concerning absenteeism, quality of life and work ability helped to evaluate the program that lasts one year and ten months.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Musculoskeletal Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: physical therapy at work

Detailed Description

The work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have substantially increased worldwide from the 1980s In Brazil, MSDs are the leading cause of occupational diseases. The harm to society is enormous and justifies the study of methods to prevent them and / or reduce them. Many authors have evaluated isolated approaches to manage the problem, but as this is usually multifactorial, a set of interventions could bring better results. Physiotherapy is a specialty that works to improve working conditions through ergonomic interventions, physical therapy treatments and gymnastics and thus contributes to prevention and treatment of these disorders. The objective of this study is: to determine the effect of this set of interventions on the quality of life of workers and the productivity of a company that has been evaluated in a previous study to this. The study population will consist of 185 employees of a multinational company that manufactures and sells hearing aids in Brazil. Of those, 126 made up the experimental group (headquarter) and 59 control group (subsidiaries). Two questionnaires, one on musculoskeletal symptoms and another on risk factors at work are applied. An ergonomic evaluation of activities and tasks will be held, which will assist the diagnosis of situations which may be modified by ergonomic measures. Management of pre-existing complaints by acupuncture and orientation of specific exercises are used. The program's effectiveness analysis will be done by two methods: a questionnaire assessing the perception of workers about the their quality of life at work and the number of musculoskeletal complaints pre and post-intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 172
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • Sao Paulo, Brazil, 05441-050
    • Denise Harari

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• must work in the industry for at least one year

Exclusion Criteria:

• workplace of the study is not the main one

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: control group; control group only filled up the questionnaires. They didn't receive intervention
Experimental: intervention group; physical therapy at work	Behavioral: physical therapy at work; gymnastcis, exercise orientation, ergonomics, acupuncture at work setting

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
musculoskeletal disorders in different parts of the body in terms of presence, duration and frequence of the symptom	Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptoms Questtionaire was used pre and post intervention	22 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
quality of life at work answered in a self perception Likert scale questionnaire	The questionnaire is about abseenteism, stress, MSDs and others	22 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: denise harari, masters, University of Sao Paulo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 3, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 18, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): December 21, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 21, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 18, 2015
• Last Verified: December 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: quality of life; acupuncture; physiotherapy; work; absenteeism; ergonomics; multifaceted intervention; industry; physical exercises; workplace; efficiency; musculoskeletal pain; WMSD
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1234ERGON