Measuring the physical demands of work in hospital settings: design and implementation of an ergonomics assessment |
| |
Authors: | Janowitz Ira L Gillen Marion Ryan Greg Rempel David Trupin Laura Swig Louise Mullen Kathleen Rugulies Reiner Blanc Paul D |
| |
Affiliation: | University of California San Francisco/Berkeley Ergonomics Program, 1301 South 46th St., Building 163, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. janowitz@earthlink.net |
| |
Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Assessing the physical demands of the heterogeneous jobs in hospitals requires appropriate and validated assessment methodologies. METHODS: As part of an integrated assessment, we adapted Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), using it in a work sampling mode facilitated by a hand-held personal digital assistant, expanding it with selected items from the UC Computer Use Checklist, and developed a scoring algorithm for ergonomics risk factors for the upper (UB) and lower body (LB). RESULTS: The inter-rater reliability kappa was 0.54 for UB and 0.66 for LB. The scoring algorithm demonstrated significant variation (ANOVA p<0.05) by occupation in anticipated directions (administrators ranked lowest; support staff ranked highest on both scores). A supplemental self-assessment measure of spinal loading correlated with high strain LB scores (r=0.30; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We developed and validated a scoring algorithm incorporating a revised REBA schema adding computer use items, appropriate for ergonomics assessment across a range of hospital jobs. |
| |
Keywords: | Ergonomics assessment Hospitals Methodology |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|