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Background: Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is currently recognized as one of the most common occupational injuries for which nursing personnel in the medical service industry have been identified as a high-risk group. In this study, we explore the prevalence of MSD in various body parts as well as their risk factors among hospital nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design with stratified cluster sampling was used to collect data from 1,803 nurses. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Results: The results showed that the greatest prevalence of MSD symptoms by body regions were in the right shoulder (85.8%), the left shoulder (80.9%), the neck (62.4%), the right wrist (62.2%) and the lower back (60.4%). Risk factors for shoulder discomfort includes department type, exercise habits, and age (p <.05). Risk factors for neck discomfort includes seniority in the current unit, "job title, and "history of MDS (p <.05). Risk factors for upper back discomfort includes age and seniority in the current unit (p <.05). Risk factors for lower back discomfort including seniority in the current unit, department type, and number of days worked per week (p <.05). Conclusions: The results of this study can serve as a reference for nursing administration managers and decision-makers for reducing musculoskeletal discomfort among nurses and thereby achieving superior quality in clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Culture influences personal health habits and behavior, and healthcare personnel possess different views of cultural perspectives. Currently, an appropriate instrument to assess cultural competence in clinical practice is limited. The present study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Nursing Cultural Competence Scale (NCCS) for clinical nurses. Methods: Developing and assessing the scale was carried out in two phases: Phase I involved a qualitative research to explore the themes of nurses’ cultural competence and instrument development; Phase II established construct validity of the scale using a sample of 246 nurses in Taiwan. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Analysis results were used to determine the reliability and validity of the developed scale. Results: The results showed four factors including cultural awareness ability, cultural action ability, cultural resources application ability, and self-learning cultural ability were generated by exploratory factor analysis, and these factors explained 62.0% of total variance. Cronbach’s α of the Nursing Cultural Competence Scale was .88, and test-retest reliability correlation was .70. Conclusions: The establishment of the tool will facilitate accurate monitoring of the cultural competence among nurses and nursing managers, which can inform the construction of nursing policies aimed at pledge cultural competence expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]