MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT AMONG CLINICAL RADIOLOGISTS

Human resources are the most important part of the organization. Undoubtedly, the efficiency of the organization is affected by the health of employees. A radiologist spends a major part of his/her life in the imaging departments of medical centers and hospitals. The biomechanical job requirements of many radiology experts, such as repetitive motion, static postures, and awkward body positioning, have been shown to contribute to the high prevalence of musculoskeletal injury or pain. Within the last decade, the imaging departments have been transformed from a film-based to PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) environment. The PACS-based environment has resulted in improved workflow, as well as increased productivity, diagnostic accuracy, and job satisfaction but still, workplace ergonomics is not very familiar territory for many radiologists who are prone to musculoskeletal discomfort due to prolonged computer use and are exposed to risk factors. Paying close attention to the basics of workplace ergonomics can increase productivity and reduce musculoskeletal discomfort and fatigue. Optimization of workplace ergonomicsshould be considered in the basic design of any modern radiology suite. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort among radiologists.For this purpose, an online questionnaire was prepared for our study, because it is easily accessible, saves time, and is cost-effective. The questionnaire was designed using Google Forms. It includes demographic information, work-related data, Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaires (CMDQ), and Hand Discomfort Questionnaires (HDQ) . The questionnaire link was sent to all radiologists and radiology experts around the country through WhatsApp, Telegram, LinkedIn, etc. The CMDQ is a ۵۴-item questionnaire containing a body map diagram with ۱۸ regions of the body, and the HDQ questionnaire is an ۱۸-item questionnaire about discomfort symptoms for the right and left hand during the last week of working shifts. Data extraction and analysis were performed with the statistical library of python programming software.۵۹ participants completed the questionnaire, who was ۳۱(۵۲.۵%) men and ۲۸ (۴۷.۵%) women. ۳۳ (۵۵%) participants had ۲-۸ hours per workday and ۲۷(۴۵%) worked between ۸ to ۱۵ hours per day. The average working experience of the participants was ۱۲.۵±۷.۷ years. Only ۵.۵% of imaging centers were film-based. ۴۸% of centers had a PACS environment, and ۴۸.۵% of those were using both. The lower back (۸۷.۵%), neck (۸۳.۹%), upper back (۶۷.۹%), right wrist (۴۸.۲%), and right shoulder (۴۶.۴%) were the areas where radiologists most frequently reported aches, pain, or discomfort. All ۶ areas of the right hand most commonly reported discomfort within the last week before filling the questionary. Among the ۶ areas of the hand, the right wrist (۴۱%) had a high prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort among radiologists.Work-related musculoskeletal discomfort in the week before the survey was reported by the majority of radiologists. This finding is consistent with those of previously published studies reporting a high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among radiologists . The lower back and right wrist were the most discomforts reported among participating radiologists. Carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndromes are the two most common complications that have been linked to computer use. Further investigation is needed to understand the causes of radiologists’ discomfort at work and to evaluate interventions to improve these symptoms.