Designing musculoskeletal disorder interventions for imaging technologists

描述(申请人提供)：这项申请的长期目标是减少与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病(MSD)和成像技术员(I-Techs)经历的身体不适的高发病率。先前的研究表明，多发性硬化症对这一职业群体来说是一个严重的问题，他们大量暴露于往往与多发性硬化症的发展相关的职业风险因素。该应用程序的目标是通过参与式设计过程开发可用的干预措施，以减少身体风险因素的暴露，并为在医院和临床环境中提供成像服务的工作人员所接受。该项目的具体目标是：(1)与成像技术人员合作，制定针对设备和工作方法干预措施的设计概念，以解决与执行成像和成像相关任务有关的生物力学和生理问题；(2)根据设计概念制作原型设备和/或工作方法培训材料；(3)通过受控实验研究，验证在该项目早期阶段制定的干预概念是否减少了对肌肉骨骼系统的要求；干预措施将根据参与者对可用性和有用性的反馈以及实验结果进行改进和必要的重新测试；(4)在现场实施和评估原型干预措施，以评估可用性，并从履行其正常工作职责的信息技术人员那里获得可接受性(可用性)反馈。参与式设计过程将招募来自五个子专业的信息技术人员小组：血管超声师、心脏超声师、诊断超声师、诊断放射学和乳房X光照相。他们将参加最初的设计焦点小组，审查制作的干预措施，旨在生物力学评估新开发的干预措施的对照研究，以及为期6周的现场试验。私人助理S之前使用类似的护理人员干预流程所做的工作表明，在该流程完成后，对于每个专科，我们将有多个经过生物力学验证的干预措施，这些干预措施可能会被目标工作组基于在整个研究过程中进行的可用性评估而采用。这项研究与公共健康的相关性：该项目针对成像技术人员在职业上暴露于与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病的相关风险因素。鉴于成像技术员的短缺和对扫描的需求不断增加，这一问题对公共卫生的意义更加重大，从而使成像技术员的健康状况成为影响卫生保健服务可获得性的关键因素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long term goal of this application is to reduce the high incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and physical discomfort experienced by imaging technologists (I-Techs). Prior research has shown MSDs to be a significant problem for this occupational group which receives significant exposure to occupational risk factors often associated with development of MSDs. The goal of this application is to develop useable interventions, through a participatory design process, that reduce physical risk factor exposures and are acceptable to the workers who provide imaging services in hospital and clinical settings. The specific aims of this project are: (1) In conjunction with imaging technologists, develop design concepts aimed at equipment and work method interventions that address biomechanical and physiologic concerns associated with performing imaging and imaging-related tasks; (2) Fabricate prototype equipment and/or work method training materials based on the design concepts; (3) Validate, through controlled experimental studies, that the intervention concepts developed in earlier phases of this project reduce the demands placed on the musculoskeletal system; interventions will be refined and re-tested as necessary based on participant feedback on usability and usefulness, and experimental results; (4) Implement and evaluate prototype interventions in the field to assess usability and obtain acceptability (usability) feedback from I-Techs performing their normal jobs duties. The participatory design process will recruit groups of I-Techs from five subspecialties: vascular sonographers, cardiac sonographers, diagnostic sonographers, diagnostic radiology, and mammography. They will participate in initial design focus groups, review of fabricated interventions, controlled studies designed to biomechanically evaluate the newly developed interventions, and in 6-week field trials. Prior work by one of the P.I.}s using a similar intervention process with paramedics suggests that at the completion of this process we will have, for each subspecialty, multiple interventions that are biomechanically validated and likely to be adopted by the targeted work groups based on usability assessments conducted throughout the study. Relevance of this research to public health: This project addresses the significant occupational exposure of imaging technologists to risk factors associated with the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The problem is of even greater significance to public health given a shortage of imaging technologists and an increasing demand for scans, thus making the health status of the imaging technologists a critical factor in the availability of health care services.