Muscular-skeletal disorders among radiologists due to bad ergonomics may be a bigger problem than the industry realizes. Richardson Healthcare and adjustable furniture developer, Ergotron, hosted a webinar earlier this week to discuss ways that health and productivity can be improved among health care professionals who may spend the greater part of the day sitting and staring at a screen.

“Sometimes the pain is a lot more than you’d expect when you consider something like having the mouse in the wrong position or having your keyboard too high,” said Carrie Schmitz, research and ergonomics manager at Ergotron.

Making ergonomic adjustments are worthwhile from the point of view of pain and lost time, but also from a productivity standpoint, she added. Studies have shown that there was a 12 to 18 percent increase in productivity due to ergonomic intervention or training.

In her presentation, Schmitz outlined three ways that ergonomics among radiologists can be improved. Equipment, administrative decisions and workplace practices all play an important role in the solution.

Equipment

“We’re looking at an environment that needs to be productive, safe and comfortable for human use,” said Schmitz.

She recommends that the radiologist’s chair should have good padding and a waterfall edge in the front. The arms should be able to be moved vertically and horizontally, and should be removable since they can be an “unwanted crutch” for those who don’t use them. The seat should tilt and the back of it should provide support for the spine, neck and head.

Wireless input devices like split keyboards and keyboards without number pads should be used to maintain a neutral posture. A vertical mouse is also another good way to keep the radiologist’s hand in a neutral position.

Schmitz also recommends head-set voice recognition. “Anything that tethers you to the computer is going to be detrimental,” she said.

Adjustable task lights that can be changed to different angles and allow for the intensity and location to be adjusted are also important. An adjustable sit-stand desk with a work surface that provides space for everything the radiologist needs is also important.

It is recommended that radiologists stand for 30 minutes, sit for 30 minutes, and then repeat. It can reduce lower back pain, lower blood sugar and burn more calories.

A Stanford University study that investigated the use of sit-stand work stations found that it led to lower incidences of back pain, and the back pain that did occur was much less likely to cause performance or productivity issues.

Administrative

Schmitz said that it’s very important that the administration is providing ergonomic assessment and ensure that there is training available. The shifts that radiologists work need to be considered, because many work long shifts and/or night shifts.

“The leadership needs to give permission to people to do the things that they know are going to be beneficial for themselves,” said Schmitz.

Having the ability to choose tasks and make changes to the workstation plays a big part in how well the radiologists handle stress and perform with regard to job productivity. “The more adjustable the equipment, the better off you’re going to be from that point of view,” said Schmitz.

There is also an element of isolation in reading rooms and a sense that the radiologists aren’t a part of the larger community. Schmitz said that communication with radiologists in reading rooms needs to be something that should be checked into.

Work practices

It is recommended that radiologists change their visual/focal distance several times over the course of a day. A leading ergonomist in the field of vision recommends that they look 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.

“The reason this is important is because if we don’t change that focal distance periodically, the muscles that are required to do that basically atrophy,” said Schmitz.

It’s also important for radiologists to “breath, blink and break,” which are three things that they typically don’t do when they are very focused on the computer screen. They tend to hold their breath, which leads to less oxygen to their brain, blink less, which causes their eyes to get itchy and dry and can lead to blurriness.

Mini breaks throughout the day are needed because if they don’t take the time to refresh, the information being brought into their short-term memory doesn’t have the chance to move into their long-term memory. Schmitz said that will cheat them out of some cognitive performance.