Posture Protection Program for Musculoskeletal Disorders and Ergonomic Risk in Hospital Cleaning Staff

NCT07590453 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: AKU-TBAEK-809
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Cleaning work, particularly in hospital settings, is an occupation that demands high physical load on both the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Hospital cleaning workers are at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to prolonged standing, heavy lifting, bending, pushing-pulling, and repetitive movements. This situation reduces employees' quality of life and leads to workforce loss and economic burden on the health system. Despite this, the risk levels of cleaning workers are often not adequately assessed and preventive interventions remain limited. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of the Posture Protection Program (POSKOP), developed for hospital cleaning workers, on musculoskeletal discomfort, ergonomic risk levels, and postural awareness. The study is planned as a quasi-experimental design to be conducted with 60 cleaning staff working in two public hospitals. Ergonomic risk assessment will be performed using the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and will be objectively analyzed through developed software. The intervention program consists of multi-component elements such as training, individual observation, instant feedback, exercise practices, visual materials (posters and pocket cards), and digital reminders (WhatsApp messages). The intervention is expected to reduce employees' musculoskeletal discomfort levels and increase their ergonomic awareness.

Conditions

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders; Ergonomic Risk Exposure

Keywords

Hospital cleaning workers; Musculoskeletal disorders; Ergonomic risk; Occupational health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Musculoskeletal disorders (Cornell Questionnaire)

  Musculoskeletal disorders among hospital cleaning workers will be assessed using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire. Changes between baseline and post-intervention measurements will be analyzed to determine the effect of the posture protection program.

  Baseline; Week 1; Week 4 (end of intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Ergonomic risk level (OWAS)

  Baseline; Week 1; Week 4 (end of intervention)

Other Outcomes (1)

• Postural awareness (PAFÖ)

  Baseline; Week 1; Week 4 (end of intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Posture Protection Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive a structured posture protection program including training on correct body mechanics, ergonomic principles, and postural awareness exercises.

Behavioral: Posture Protection Program

Routine Practice

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to the control group will continue their routine hospital cleaning duties without receiving any additional intervention during the study period. No posture training, ergonomic education, or exercise program will be provided. Data collection will be conducted at baseline and follow-up using the same assessment tools as the intervention group. After completion of the study and post-test assessments, the posture protection program will be offered to the control group for ethical reasons.

Interventions

Posture Protection Program BEHAVIORAL

Structured Posture Training Program designed to reduce musculoskeletal risk among hospital cleaning staff. The program includes ergonomic education, correct body mechanics training, safe patient handling and lifting techniques, and postural awareness exercises delivered through supervised sessions.

Posture Protection Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Employed as an active hospital cleaning staff member for at least 12 months Working in inpatient hospital units Willing to participate in the study and providing written informed consent voluntarily Working in daytime shifts during the study period

You may not qualify if:

• Having received training on the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders within the last 12 months Having congenital or acquired physical disabilities Having a previously diagnosed musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) Not performing routine cleaning duties (e.g., supervisors or administrative staff)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Akdeniz University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Musculoskeletal Diseases

Study Officials

• Ayşe Meydanlıoğlu, Assoc. Prof., PhD, RN

  Akdeniz University

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

cennet İZGİ, RN, MSc

CONTACT

+905066687579; cennetizgi@gmail.com

Ayşe MEYDANLIOĞLU, Assoc. Prof., PhD, RN

CONTACT

+90 542 532 3082; ayseuslu@akdeniz.edu.tr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Blinding and Bias Prevention Since the intervention and control groups will be drawn from different hospitals, participants will be unaware of their group assignment and will thus be blinded. However, the principal investigator of the study will not be able to be blinded due to the nature of the study. To minimize the risk of bias in the results, video recordings of participants will be taken to assess their MSD risk and will be objectively evaluated through the software to be developed; this is also important in terms of preventing subjectivity and error in the assessment of these recordings. In addition, a code will be assigned to the study groups and data analysis is planned to be carried out by an independent statistician who is unaware of the group names, thereby also aiming to prevent bias in the interpretation of the results.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This study will use a parallel-group design in which participants will be assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group will receive a structured posture protection program consisting of education on correct body mechanics, ergonomic principles, and postural awareness training, while the control group will continue their routine work without any additional intervention. Both groups will be assessed at baseline (pre-test) and after the intervention period (post-test) to evaluate changes in musculoskeletal symptoms, ergonomic risk levels, and postural awareness.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 27, 2026
• First Posted: May 15, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Last Updated: May 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share