Musculoskeletal Symptoms, Job-Related Stress, and Burnout in Nurses: A Cross-Sectional, Observational Study

Fifty-three percent of nurses in the sample (<i>N</i> = 173) indicated limited functional activity due to musculoskeletal symptoms. High overall burnout approached a significant association with limited function (<i>OR</i> = 1.13, 95% CI [0.995, 1.28], <i>p</i> = .06). The odds of having limited function were 15.32 times higher (<i>OR</i> = 15.32, 95% CI [3.10, 75.82], <i>p</i> = .01) in nurses who were very likely to leave their job in the next year.Conclusions/Applications to Practice:Limited function due to musculoskeletal symptoms was significantly associated with nurse attrition and approached a significant association with high burnout. Nurse attrition is costly to healthcare organizations and compromises patient safety. Future interventions aimed at musculoskeletal health and attrition in nurses should reduce job-related stress and burnout, in addition to reducing physical strain.