Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) seriously affect work efficiency and quality of life of nurses. Currently, there are significant differences in the published studies on WMSDs in nurses.

Objective To systematically evaluate the prevalence of WMSDs among nurses in the mainland of China and analyze its main influencing factors.

Methods Eight databases (CNKI, Wanfang data, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase) were selected for searching literature reporting prevalence and influencing factors of WMSDs among clinical nurses in China from inception to December 31, 2022. The literature was included according to a pre-set criteria of inclusion and exclusion. The quality of cross-sectional studies was assessed using the criteria recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the extracted data were analyzed by Stata 15.0 software. A random effect model or a fixed effect model was selected to calculate combined effects based on heterogeneity of included studies.

Results A total of 19 studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 14 studies published in Chinese and 5 in English, involving 17852 nurses in total. The estimated prevalence rate of WMSDs since work among clinical nurses in China was 85.5% (95%CI: 79.8%, 91.1%), the estimated annual prevalence rate was 81.0% (95%CI: 75.2%, 86.8%), and the estimated weekly prevalence rate was 65.0% (95%CI: 48.5%, 81.5%). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence rate of WMSDs among nurses in specific departments of emergency, ICU, and midwifery was 88.6% (95%CI: 82.6%, 94.6%), higher than that among nurses in general departments 79.0% (95%CI: 72.5%, 85.5%). The reported prevalence of WMSDs from 2018 to 2022 was 82.2% (95%CI: 75.0%, 89.4%), which was higher than that from 2004 to 2017 76.8% (95%CI: 67.2%, 86.4%). Age >40 years (OR=2.34, 95%CI: 1.69, 3.24), length of service >10 years (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.43, 3.15), obesity (OR=2.73, 95%CI: 1.56, 4.77), night shift (OR=2.03, 95%CI: 1.81, 2.28), lifting heavy objects (OR=3.80, 95%CI: 1.79, 8.07), rest during work (OR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.30, 0.83), and bending (OR=3.47, 95%CI: 2.37, 5.08) were influencing factors of WMSDs in nurses.

Conclusion The prevalence rate of WMSDs among Chinese nurses is high, and it is increasing year by year. Nurses in specific departments such as emergency, ICU, and midwifery show higher prevalence rates than those in general departments. Age > 40 years, length of service >10 years, obesity, night shifts, lifting heavy objects, and bending are risk factors for WMSDs among nurses, while rest during work is a protective factor. Therefore, early prevention actions should be taken targeting the above factors, such as increasing auxiliary assistance facilities and improving work patterns, so as to reduce the risk of WMSDs.