Ergonomics

Abstract

Discussions of health care ergonomics have been focused on injuries of nursing staff as a result of patient transfers. The challenges faced by ancillary departments that provide supporting services have not received as much attention in the literature. Yet, as early as 1987, it was noted that upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in hospital workers were prevalent not only among nursing staff, but also among those engaged in manual work such as food preparation and laundry.1 More recently, Goldman et al.2 identified high-risk areas for back injury in a large teaching hospital. The authors found that nonnursing areas, which demonstrated increased rates for back injury, included environmental services, pharmacy, radiology, and dietary work.