Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Sep 15:17:391.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-016-1245-y.

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

Jenny Gemark Simonsen  1 , Gunvor Gard  2   3
Affiliations

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

Jenny Gemark Simonsen et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

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 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.

Keywords: Content analysis; Ergonomics; Female; Sonography; Work environment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Pictures showing the three main echocardiographic examination techniques: Text to each picture: a T1, patient facing examiner, transducer in left hand, b T2, patient facing examiner, transducer in right hand, and c T3, patient facing away from examiner transducer in right hand
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Evans K, Roll S, Baker J. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSD) Among Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and Vascular Technologists A Representative Sample. J Diagn Med Sonogr. 2009;25(6):287–299. doi: 10.1177/8756479309351748. - DOI
    1. Roll SC. Injuries and prevention in health care providers. Work. 2012;42(3):309–310. - PubMed
    1. Russo A, Murphy C, Lessoway V, Berkowitz J. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among British Columbia sonographers. Appl Ergon. 2002;33(5):385–393. doi: 10.1016/S0003-6870(02)00038-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brown G, Baker J. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Sonographers. J Diagn Med Sonogr. 2004;20(2):85–93. doi: 10.1177/8756479304263022. - DOI
    1. Arvidsson I, Gremark Simonsen J, Dahlqvist C, Axmon A, Karlson B, Björk J, et al. Cross-sectional associations between occupational factors and musculoskeletal pain in women teachers, nurses and sonographers. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016;17:35. doi: 10.1186/s12891-016-0883-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms