{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T12:12:22Z","timestamp":1790856742488,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FH M\u00fcnster University of Applied Sciences"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are highly prevalent among healthcare workers, particularly nurses, with reported prevalence rates ranging from 57% to 93%. Perfusionists are highly specialized healthcare professionals responsible for operating heart\u2013lung machines during cardiac surgery. To date, the prevalence of MSDs in this professional group has not been systematically investigated. To address this gap, perfusionists in Germany were surveyed regarding MSDs. Methods: The German version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was administered. Pearson\u2019s correlation and chi-square tests were applied. Results: A total of 287 perfusionists (72 female, 215 male; age 42.6 \u00b1 11.9 years, professional experience 13.5 \u00b1 10.9 years) from 45 German cardiac centers participated. Overall, 86% reported MSDs, with the lower back (65.5%) and neck (58.9%) being the most frequently affected regions, and 4.5% to 36.6% in other body regions. Increasing age was significantly associated with a higher prevalence in six body regions, and greater professional experience was associated in five regions. Occupational risk factors previously identified in nursing are assumed to apply to perfusion practice. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of MSDs among perfusionists in Germany. These findings underscore the need for preventive measures, coping strategies, and further research to reduce work-related musculoskeletal strain among perfusionists.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23020156","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T09:05:27Z","timestamp":1769504727000},"page":"156","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Perfusion Staff in Germany"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-2610-564X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreas Richard","family":"Gre\u00dfler","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Ergonomics and Medical Engineering, FH M\u00fcnster University of Applied Sciences, B\u00fcrgerkamp 3, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maximilian","family":"Kehmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Ergonomics and Medical Engineering, FH M\u00fcnster University of Applied Sciences, B\u00fcrgerkamp 3, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0032-4705","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claus","family":"Backhaus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Psychology and Ergonomics, Technische Universit\u00e4t Berlin, Fasanenstra\u00dfe 1, 10623 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2739-8042","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Niels","family":"Hinricher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Ergonomics and Medical Engineering, FH M\u00fcnster University of Applied Sciences, B\u00fcrgerkamp 3, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2020). 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