Comparison of Neck Pain Among Medical Lab Professionals Working in Government and Private Laboratories of Lahore, Pakistan; A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Neck pain is the most common work-related musculoskeletal disorder among professional clinical and medical laboratory workers. The lab workers are at a higher risk of developing neck pain due to consistent exposure to microscopic for prolonged hours. Objective: To compare the prevalence of neck pain in the private and government sectors among laboratory workers of Lahore, Pakistan. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, the sample size was calculated to be 279 by employing Rao Software. All the pathologists, technologists, technicians, microbiologists and biochemists, both genders, lab workers who had a minimum of five years of experience of full-time work experience and a minimum of 36 hours per week, aged between 25 to 45 years were recruited in the study. Those lab workers whose working hours were less than 36 or who worked part-time and not full-time, had a recent injury or accident in the previous six months, and any sort of systemic illness were excluded. The ethical approval was taken from the review panel of the ethical committee of Riphah International University, Lahore, before the commencement of this current study. Data was collected using a questionnaire including demographics and the neck disability index. Descriptive statistics of participants were presented as means and standard deviations. Results: The results of the study show the highest number of participants fell under the age group of 25 to 30 years of age. The results show us that out of 279 participants, 139 (49.8%) were males and 140 (50.2%) were females. This shows us that a higher number of respondents were females in this current study. About 25% lab workers reported having fairly severe neck pain at the moment. Results show that for lab workers working 12 hours per week 25% of them reported experiencing fairly severe pain. Conclusion: It concludes that the focused population tends to suffer less from neck pain. The intensity of pain has been observed to be linked to workplace and working hours. Those lab workers who worked in the private sector tend to suffer more from fairly severe pain, and those working for 12 hours experience more severe pain.