Identifying quantitative risk assessment methods for assessing physical workload and strain in nursing profession – a scoping review protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify and map quantitative risk assessment methods used to assess physical workload and strain resulting from mixed physical work during the performance of nursing tasks across healthcare settings. Introduction: Nursing personnel are frequently exposed to high physical workloads, contributing to musculoskeletal disorders. Unlike industrial settings, where work tasks are often standardized, nursing tasks frequently involve mixed physical work. These are characterized by varying manual handling activities, postures, and force requirements, which makes systematic risk assessment challenging. While validated tools such as Ergonomic Assessment Worksheet (EAWS) or Key Indicator Method (KIM) are commonly used in industrial occupational risk assessment, comparable structured instruments for evaluating mixed physical workload in nursing are limited. This highlights the need to map existing quantitative risk assessment methods used in nursing to better understand their applicability, accurance and validity. Inclusion criteria: This review will include studies involving nursing professionals and related health-support occupations. The review focuses on quantitative risk methods used to assess physical workload and strain associated with mixed physical work during nursing tasks across all healthcare settings. Studies using qualitative designs or focusing on mental health or non–patient-related work tasks will be excluded. Methods: A comprehensive search will be conducted between 09 February 2026 and 13 February 2026 in MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCO), Scopus, EMBASE and Web of Science. In addition, grey literature such as reports, guidelines, dissertations, theses or institutional documents will be included if they address quantitative risk assessment methods. The search will be limited to studies published in English or German, with no restrictions on publication date. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts, and full texts, extract data using the Rayyan extraction tool, and chart the evidence according to the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The findings will be presented in tabular and graphical formats and summarised narratively.