The bending point: How the physical toll of bedside care is pushing nursing staff out the door.

BACKGROUND

Nursing staff face relentless physical demands that may contribute to decisions to leave the bedside. The link between routine physical tasks and staff turnover remains unclear.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to quantify the physical demands of bedside care and explore how these demands relate to pain and turnover intentions within surgical units.

METHODS

Staff completed a survey measuring pain severity, location, and career impact. An ergonomist conducted passive observations using a tool created to identify the frequency of risky bends. The data collected identified correlations between physical workload metrics, pain reports, and turnover intentions.

RESULTS

More than 58% of survey respondents reported moderate to severe pain after shifts, predominantly in the lower back. The ergonomic analysis revealed that nursing staff perform approximately 48 000 risky bends annually. Notably, more than 44% of respondents planned to leave their direct care roles within 2 years, identifying pain as a primary factor.

CONCLUSIONS

More than half of direct care surgical nursing staff report leaving their shifts in moderate to severe pain, and almost 65% of surveyed staff consider leaving their position due to this pain. Back pain, the most prevalent pain reported, may link to frequent risky bending, as measured by a purpose-built observation tool.