Pre-Employment physical capacity testing as a predictor of musculoskeletal injury in Victorian paramedics

Source avec lien : Work, 70(1). 10.3233/WOR-213570

Cette étude visait à identifier la nature des lésions musculo-squelettiques au travail et à déterminer s’il existe une relation entre les résultats du test de capacité physique préalable à l’embauche (PEPCT) et le risque de lésions musculo-squelettiques au travail dans le secteur paramédical.

BACKGROUND: Paramedic work has periods of intermittent high physical demand, a risk of workplace injury, may be confounded by inherent fitness of the paramedic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the nature of workplace musculoskeletal injury, and determine if there was a relationship between pre-employment physical capacity testing (PEPCT) scores and risk of workplace musculoskeletal injury within the paramedic industry. METHODS: A retrospective case review using PEPCT scores and workplace injury (WI) manual handling data collected from 2008 to 2015 by an Australian pre-hospital emergency care provider (Ambulance Victoria), enabled comparison and analysis of two distinct data sets. RESULTS: A total of 538 paramedics were included for analysis with 34 paramedics reporting a workplace musculoskeletal injury from manual handling. The mean time to injury from commencement of employment was 395.4 days (SD 516.2). Female paramedics represented 53.0%and male paramedics represented 47%of the sample. Mean total PEPCT score for the entire sample was 19.1 (SD 2.9) with a range from 16.2–22, while for those reporting injuries it was 18.3 (SD 2.6) with a range from 15.7–20.9. CONCLUSIONS: Musculoskeletal injury amongst Victorian paramedics is more prevalent where the paramedic is female, and/or within three years of commencement of employment. The PEPCT score did not differentiate those at risk of subsequent injury.

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