Radiology Ergonomics

By Teresa Quirante (RT) (R.M.) Email. tquirante@techno-aide.com http://www. techno-aide.com
Ergonomics is derived from two Greek words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws, to create a word that means the science of work and a person’s relationship to that work. Simply put, ergonomics is the science of work and it becomes useful in radiology when it successfully creates a more comfortable and efficient environment that maximizes overall productivity and efficiency. When work is performed in awkward postures or with excessive effort, fatigue and discomfort can result. Under these conditions, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels can be damaged.		Ergonomics is the science of work and people’s relationship with work. Ergonomics design maximizes work productivity and efficiency.
Injury Risk Radiologists are at a much higher risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) than any other medical profession, according to Dr. Mansi Saksena, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Many of us tend to think about ergonomics as simply an office problem and have rarely thought about it as being a problem in the radiology department. As hospitals morph from analog to digital, and the PACS environment increasingly comes into play, radiologists and technologists are complaining of eyestrain and neck, back and wrist pain because the reading environment has changed during this transition. PACS has virtually eliminated the need to manually hang films on viewboxes thus changing the regular work routines of radiologists and staff. Before, there was physical activity within the reading room and now the environment has become less physical, more static, and increasingly more image intensive. Nearly all radiologists are faced with ergonomic challenges as digital technology sweeps through imaging centers across the country.		“Radiologists are at a much higher risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) than any other medical profession “
How Ergonomic design helps ? Ergonomic planning is moving to the forefront to protect the radiologists and other staff from irreversible injuries. As more and new physical demands are put on radiologists, we must be focused on their health and creating ergonomic reading environments or lose productive hours as a result. Radiologists cannot sit in one place all day performing repetitive tasks without becoming fatigued. Physical fatigue leads to mental fatigue, and mental fatigue increases the potential for interpretive error.		“MSD’s often result when these devices are placed too high or too low or too near the user for extended periods of time”
Design Elements There is a need for the incorporation of several basic elements to build the optimal work environment for visual interpretation and high order mental activity. These elements include: The viewing angle between the head/neck and the image being reviewed; Proper support for the lower arms and wrists. Maintaining a 90-degree relationship of the lower and upper arm; A chair that supports the buttocks and the entire spinal column, including the head and neck, without creating any pressure points. Proper seat height, allowing the feet to rest firmly on the floor or a support. · Elimination of extraneous noise/interruption; and Proper ambient light levels for the output of the monitors being used.
Adjustability is a key consideration in reducing fatigue and decreasing opportunities for injury. Because the best scenario includes having the radiologist or technologist spending part of his or her time standing and part sitting, the ability to adjust the reading site up and down is important. Desk with electronic height adjustments can easily accommodate the needs of radiologist of varying heights. Proper ergonomics applies to each working component being adjustable to the needs of every member of the staff. An interesting challenge in most hospital and clinic reading rooms is the wide variety and quantity of radiologists that “float” between the PACS workstations. The goal is to have an ergonomic environment that will easily accommodate each user’s height requirement and needs.
Seating is often a misunderstood work tool. It is the one item that comes into contact with the human body and is of utmost importance. Choosing the correct ergonomic chair that provides back and arm support adjustments for multiple users is critical to the overall success of the ergonomic work environment. Monitor positioning and keyboard adjustability are also important factors in providing this ergonomic environment. MSD’s often result when these devices are placed too high or too low or too near the user for extended periods of time. If the reading area has not been set up with ergonomics in mind, the radiologists, technologists and others will suffer in varying ways.
Facts & Figures The Journal of the American College of Radiology published a report in August of 2008 reporting that 58% of the radiologists had repetitive stress injury symptoms. A survey of 107 faculty, fellow and residents supported the notion that repetitive stress is a real issue among those working in a PACS environment. The survey went on to show that an ergonomic environment can greatly improve repetitive stress injury symptoms. 70% of respondents in the survey reported system improvement with ergonomic chairs as did 80% of those who received ergonomic workstations and 80% who underwent ergonomic training.		“58% of the radiologists had repetitive stress injury symptoms 80% of those who received ergonomic workstations reported improvement with ergonomic”
Future of Ergonomics in Hospitals With increasing pressures on healthcare, effective ergonomics within hospitals and imaging centers will become increasingly important. The basic concept of ergonomics is that work should fit the worker rather than making the worker adjust to his or her work. Tailoring workstations to match individual characteristics is easy to do with Ergonomic Desks and PACS workstations that are designed for the radiology environment. For anyone touching the radiology and imaging industry, smart ergonomic planning in the radiology interpretive environment is a good and economic investment.