Rev. Soc. Bras. Enferm. Ped.2009;9(2):59-65.
Risks of musculoskeletal harm among the health professionals of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
DOI: 10.31508/1676-3793200900008
Abstract
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) presents an environment with several potential sources of risk to the professionals. This way, we carried out a study aiming at identifying the musculo-skeletal risks to the health professionals that work in a NICU. This is a descriptive study. It was developed in a NICU from the Public Health System of a municipality from Sao Paulo State. The data was collected through a semi-structured guide of observations. After observation and data analysis of the environment under study, we identified the following risk factors of musculoskeletal harm: falls, bruises and sprains. We concluded that in spite of the risk factors present in this hospital unit, these risks can be avoided through the development and the installation of equipment and devices which protect the worker’s health, and the application of biomedicine science in favor of the safety and comfort of the health professionals.