Abstract:
Introduction: Ankle-foot pain is a serious public health concern among nurses and has a
significant impact on nurses’ daily work and quality of life, as well as on the quality of the
health care service delivery system. However, little is known about the prevalence and factors
associated with ankle-foot pain among nurses working in surgical units in Ethiopia. So, the
finding of this study helps to maintain ankle-foot health in the nursing environment.
Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anklefoot
pain
among
nurses
working in surgical units of comprehensive specialized hospitals in
Amhara regional state, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 409 nurses
working in surgical units of comprehensive specialized hospitals, from May 15- June 7, 2022.
A simple random sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Data were
collected by five BSc nurses using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The tool was
adapted from the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire and Nationally Standardized Job Content
Questionnaire. The collected data were entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS
version 23 for analysis. The descriptive statistics, bivariable and multivariable logistic
regression analyses were computed. Finally, variables were declared as statistically significant
at P < 0.05 using the odds ratio and 95% CI.
Results: The prevalence of ankle-foot pain among nurses working in surgical units was 51.8%
(95% CI=46.9-57.5). More than 10 years of working experience [AOR=3.48, 95% CI=1.358.92],
working 48 or more hours per week [AOR=2.69, 95% CI= 1.27-6.00], prolonged
standing [AOR=5.72, 95% CI=3.20-10.25], high physical job demand [AOR=2.41, 95%
CI=1.53-3.80], and low job control [AOR=2.34, 95% CI=1.47-3.71] had statistically
significant association with ankle-foot pain.
Conclusion and recommendations: This study found that ankle-foot pain was common
among nurses working in surgical units. Having more years of work experience, working more
hours per week, prolonged standing, high physical job demand, and low job control were
statistically associated with ankle-foot pain. Therefore, to reduce the likelihood of ankle-foot
pain, it is advisable to discourage working more than the expected hours per week, and expand
nurses’ ability to apply their influence on their working area.
Keywords: Ankle-foot pain, Ankle-foot discomfort, Nurses, Northwest Ethiopia.
