Reduce Medical Errors. Lower Healthcare Costs. Increase Musculoskeletal Disorders?

By Author: eormseo eorm
Total Articles: 11
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Work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb and neck are one of the most common occupational disorders among computer users. As the US healthcare industry gets progressively digitized — replacing patient charts with iPads, implementing technological advances to reduce errors and lower cost– should we expect to see a sharp increase in these disorders among healthcare workers?

According to two recent surveys conducted by professors at Cornell University, musculoskeletal disorders were found to be on the rise among healthcare workers. One of the studies reported that the majority of female doctors, and more than 40 percent of male doctors, complained of neck, shoulder and upper and lower back pain on at least a weekly basis. In a second study at the same healthcare system, 56 percent of doctors and 71 percent of nurse practitioners and physician assistants said their computer use at work had increased in the past year with 22 percent of doctors and 19 percent of nurse practitioners and physician assistants reporting less time spent on face-to-face interactions with patients. Only about 5 percent of participants ...
... reported an “expert knowledge” of ergonomics, and more than two-thirds said they had no input in the planning or design of their computer or clinical workstation.

As the healthcare industry implements more technology solutions, requiring employees to spend more and more time at their computer work stations, it is imperative that it consider the
Ergonomic Assessment . By designing the workplace equipment and environment to fit the worker, as well as training workers in ergonomic principles, there can be a considerable reduction in the risk of healthcare workers developing these musculoskeletal disorders.