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Swedish Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work and their suggestions for improvement

GREMARK SIMONSEN, JENNY LU and Gard, Gunvor LU (2016) In BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 17(1).
Abstract

Background: Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic and work-related pain problems at work have so far mostly been researched in quantitative studies by questionnaires. There is a need of experience-based research to deepen the knowledge about how sonographers perceive ergonomic problems at work. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study was to describe sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work, and their suggestions for improvement strategies. Methods: Twenty-two female sonographers were individually interviewed regarding different aspects of their physical working environment. Content analysis was applied. Results: The sonographers perceived different ergonomic problems in their working environment, but to offer... (More)

Background: Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic and work-related pain problems at work have so far mostly been researched in quantitative studies by questionnaires. There is a need of experience-based research to deepen the knowledge about how sonographers perceive ergonomic problems at work. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study was to describe sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work, and their suggestions for improvement strategies. Methods: Twenty-two female sonographers were individually interviewed regarding different aspects of their physical working environment. Content analysis was applied. Results: The sonographers perceived different ergonomic problems in their working environment, but to offer patient comfort and to obtain the best possible images were often prioritized over working posture. Echocardiography was considered demanding as the examination is performed with little variation in posture. Ergonomic improvements included reducing the manual handling of the transducer, optimizing the adjustability of equipment, and taking the patient's physique and health into account. As some examinations were perceived to be more ergonomically demanding, variation between examinations was suggested, however, this requires broader skills. Conclusion: Sonography, especially echocardiography is ergonomically demanding but the improvement strategies suggested were perceived useful and applicable.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Content analysis, Ergonomics, Female, Sonography, Work environment
in
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
volume
17
issue
1
article number
391
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • pmid:27628504
  • wos:000395025400001
  • scopus:84987703581
ISSN
1471-2474
DOI
10.1186/s12891-016-1245-y
project
Sonographers and WMSD:s
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d963f98e-cfe9-4fd3-8e1a-aae0482bacff
date added to LUP
2016-10-03 14:57:22
date last changed
2024-03-07 13:15:23
@article{d963f98e-cfe9-4fd3-8e1a-aae0482bacff,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic and work-related pain problems at work have so far mostly been researched in quantitative studies by questionnaires. There is a need of experience-based research to deepen the knowledge about how sonographers perceive ergonomic problems at work. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study was to describe sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work, and their suggestions for improvement strategies. Methods: Twenty-two female sonographers were individually interviewed regarding different aspects of their physical working environment. Content analysis was applied. Results: The sonographers perceived different ergonomic problems in their working environment, but to offer patient comfort and to obtain the best possible images were often prioritized over working posture. Echocardiography was considered demanding as the examination is performed with little variation in posture. Ergonomic improvements included reducing the manual handling of the transducer, optimizing the adjustability of equipment, and taking the patient's physique and health into account. As some examinations were perceived to be more ergonomically demanding, variation between examinations was suggested, however, this requires broader skills. Conclusion: Sonography, especially echocardiography is ergonomically demanding but the improvement strategies suggested were perceived useful and applicable.</p>}},
  author       = {{GREMARK SIMONSEN, JENNY and Gard, Gunvor}},
  issn         = {{1471-2474}},
  keywords     = {{Content analysis; Ergonomics; Female; Sonography; Work environment}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders}},
  title        = {{Swedish Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work and their suggestions for improvement}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12891-016-1245-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12891-016-1245-y}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}