Abstract
Objective This study aimed to describe the methodological process for developing a questionnaire
to identify the prevalence and risk factors for chronic occupational low back pain
in healthcare professionals working at hospitals.
Method An exploratory crossectional survey study was carried out in Belo Horizonte, MG,
Brazil, and its metropolitan region, in two stages. Initially, the authors prepared
a questionnaire based on the Roland Morris disability questionnaire and sent it to
a committee of low back pain specialists for validation using the Delphi technique.
The second stage consisted of sending the final questionnaire to health professionals
working in a hospital environment for at least 2 years and presenting chronic low
back pain for at least 3 months.
Results Validation occurred in two rounds of questionnaire adjustments by a panel consisting
of physical therapists and physician experts in the field (orthopedists with more
than 3 years of experience). Both rounds had 13 participants. The questionnaire initially
consisted of 27 items, and, after validation, it had 19 items. The study included
65 subjects, with an average age of 40.91 years old and an average time working at
a hospital of 40 hours per week. The total sample had 76.9% of physicians, 10.8% of
physical therapists, and 12.3% of nurses or nursing technicians. Most (52.3%) subjects
reported staying in uncomfortable positions affecting the lower back for 5 to 10 hours
per day.
Conclusion We developed and validated, using the Delphi technique, a questionnaire on the prevalence
and risk factors associated with chronic occupational low back pain among healthcare
professionals working at hospitals. This unprecedented tool can benefit the population
studied since the questionnaires currently used to evaluate chronic low back pain
are not specific for investigating the occupational cause of this condition.
Keywords back pain - health professionals - low back pain - quality of life - work capacity
evaluation
