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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1478204
This article is part of the Research Topic Patient and Medical Staff Safety and Healthy Work Environment in the 21st Century View all 22 articles

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Musculoskeletal Disorders-Related Sick Leave Among Healthcare Workers: A Retrospective Analysis of Slovenian National Data

Provisionally accepted
Dorjana Zerbo Šporin Dorjana Zerbo Šporin 1Žiga Kozinc Žiga Kozinc 1*Ticijana Prijon Ticijana Prijon 2Tanja Metličar Tanja Metličar 2Nejc Šarabon Nejc Šarabon 1
  • 1 Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
  • 2 Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the main causes of health-related absenteeism. MSDs were a known problem among healthcare workers (HCWs) even before COVID-19. The pandemic, with its associated stresses and changes in working conditions, may have influenced the incidence and duration of MSDs-related sick leave (SL) among HCWs. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and duration of MSDs-related SL among HCWs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on differences between age and gender groups. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using Slovenian national SL data on work-related MSDs within NACE Rev. 2 "Human health activities" for 2019, 2020, and 2021, categorized by gender and age. Results: The study found that older HCWs, particularly women, consistently had a higher incidence of work-related MSDs SL than their younger counterparts. However, during the pandemic, MSDs were more common among younger men, while the average duration of SL was longer among younger women. On the other hand, in older HCWs, the average SL incidence decreased during the pandemic, while the SL duration substantially increased. Conclusion: The dynamics of MSDs related SL among HCWs are complex and influenced by several factors, including the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare managers should implement tailored strategies to address MSDs-related absenteeism among specific groups of HCWs to promote a healthier workforce and ensure a resilient healthcare system during health crises.

    Keywords: Absenteeism, Retrospective data, Healthcare occupations, Healthcare sector, Presentism

    Received: 09 Aug 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zerbo Šporin, Kozinc, Prijon, Metličar and Šarabon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Žiga Kozinc, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.