Designing musculoskeletal disorder interventions for imaging technologists

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请的长期目标是减少与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病（MSDs）和成像技术人员（I-Techs）经历的身体不适的高发率。先前的研究表明，对于这一职业群体来说，MSDs是一个严重的问题，因为他们大量暴露于与MSDs发展相关的职业风险因素中。本应用程序的目标是通过参与式设计过程制定可用的干预措施，减少身体风险因素暴露，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)与成像技术专家一起，开发针对设备和工作方法干预的设计概念，以解决与执行成像和成像相关任务相关的生物力学和生理学问题；(2)根据设计理念制作原型设备和/或工作方法培训材料；(3)通过对照实验研究，验证在本项目早期阶段开发的干预概念减少了对肌肉骨骼系统的需求；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，在必要时加以改进和重新测试；(4)在现场实施和评估原型干预措施，以评估可用性，并从执行正常工作职责的i - tech那里获得可接受性（可用性）反馈。参与式设计过程将从五个亚专业招募i - tech小组：血管超声医师、心脏超声医师、诊断超声医师、诊断放射学和乳房x线摄影。他们将参加最初的设计焦点小组，审查捏造的干预措施，旨在对新开发的干预措施进行生物力学评估的对照研究，以及为期6周的现场试验。其中一名私家医生先前与护理人员使用类似干预过程的工作表明，在该过程完成后，我们将为每个亚专业提供多种生物力学验证的干预措施，并根据整个研究过程中进行的可用性评估，有可能被目标工作组采用。本研究与公共卫生的相关性：本项目探讨了成像技术人员在与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病发展相关的风险因素中的重要职业暴露。鉴于成像技术人员的短缺和对扫描的日益增长的需求，因此使成像技术人员的健康状况成为卫生保健服务可用性的关键因素，这个问题对公共卫生的意义更加重大。

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.