Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities in a Rehabilitation Centre in Bangladesh

Md. Mahfuzur Rahman; Md. Shamim Miah; Sarmin Sultana; Salim Rahman

Md. Mahfuzur Rahman^(1*), Md. Shamim Miah⁽²⁾, Sarmin Sultana⁽³⁾, Salim Rahman⁽⁴⁾

(1) Affiliation
(2) Affiliation
(3) Affiliation
(4) Affiliation
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background: Lack of training of caregivers has a great negative impact on manual handling for the person withdisabilities, and it has raised a burning question at present. In Bangladesh, family members can play a vital rolein caring, whereas recover performance is demanding. It is a big challenge for caregivers to consider physical andmental effort for a person with disabilities.

Methods: Total 118 caregivers were recruited. The study was carried out in the outdoor neurology unit, Departmentof Occupational Therapy of CRP, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A purposive sampling technique and pre-tested structuredquestionnaire were used for data collection. Face-to-face interviews were taken with obtaining informed consent.

Results: About 44.1% caregivers always faced awkward posture, whereas 41.5% faced persistent repetitive handmovement during manual handling. Around one third (33.05%) felt back pain who cared for less than 2 years, while17.79% had hand pain for more than 2 years. Within this period, 41.52% always felt mental overtiredness, whereas31.36 % often felt physical exhaustion, which was statistically significant at P< 0.05level.

Conclusion: Awkward posture and persistent repetitive hand movements were the key problems of caregivers.Mental exhaustion was higher than physical exhaustion during the manual handling of a person with disabilities.