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Ergonomics is the study of matching job requirements and environment to the worker to maximize efficiency, quality, and quantity of work while minimizing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), fatigue, and overexertion. An assessment is crucial for each job and should consider physical and psychosocial factors that impact the ergonomic outcomes. The assessment is usually initiated by a primary care clinician in response to the common complaints described above. If managed appropriately, work satisfaction increases, and most patients return to work as normal. Of course, adjustments are possible depending on a patient's changing employment, which may be informed by previous outcomes. This activity outlines the components of ergonomics and highlights the interprofessional team's role in maintaining proper ergonomics for their patients. Participating clinicians also review occupation-specific recommendations to enhance ergonomics, specifically in healthcare. Objectives: Evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions in improving patient comfort and productivity. Apply evidence-based ergonomic interventions to reduce the risk of work-related injuries. Determine the most common ergonomic adjustments for healthcare professionals and the general population. Implement safe, ergonomic practices for changing patient needs within an interprofessional team involving physical therapy, chiropractic, and primary care evaluations. Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.

Ergonomics is the study of aligning a job's needs with the worker's and work environment's ability to provide the most efficient workspace possible while reducing the risk of injury. Historically, the primary goal of ergonomics has been reducing the rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). The field assesses labor efficiency, quality, quantity, and comfort to maximize these components while minimizing worker injury, turnover, fatigue, or overexertion. Previously, the focus within the field only addressed the physical components that place a person at increased risk of developing WMSD. More recent studies have demonstrated the interrelationship between psychosocial factors and ergonomics.[1][2][3]

Interprofessional support and communication are vital to developing, implementing, and maintaining proper ergonomics and their associated factors in the workplace. Studies point to multiple factors that can impact ergonomic stature and, thus, WMSD, including autonomy and support at work, gender resulting in a strength-job mismatch, and proper support staff and equipment.[19][26][20] Level 1 studies have demonstrated the importance of having a multifaceted approach to ergonomics within the workplace, including equipment, ergonomics, employee training on patient handling, and exercise programs for workers in healthcare.[27] Safe Patient Handling and Mobilization Programs (SPHMs) have been proven through level 1 studies to be an effective means to incorporate proper ergonomics to increase the safety and reduce injuries of clinicians and patients within the work field.[28] These programs need to be developed in a team setting to ensure the perspective and needs of all active members are addressed and require the medical team to assist one another during the patient care tasks to provide the safest care for both the patient and clinicians involved. One study noted that patients report feeling safer when staff use safe transfer techniques, which translates to improved quality of patient care.[29] Level 3 studies have noted that proper staffing is necessary to avoid excessive fatigue and burnout caused by ergonomically burdensome tasks, leading to an increased risk of injury. A recent level 5 study following the surge in mass fatality handling secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for not only the implementation of ergonomic training for staff but also the benefits of having an SPHM team in place at facilities to assist in situations where singular transfers are not safe, or patient size requires multiple individuals to transfer without injury.[26] Level 2 studies have also demonstrated the importance of arranging the workstation to meet ergonomic requirements for office work participants. Many of the same ergonomic principles that should be applied to the healthcare professionals' daily tasks can be used as educational pieces to serve better patients faced with similar positional and task components within their line of work.[30]

In addition to the multiple individual actions that can be implemented to increase the use of ergonomics within specific and general workplace settings, several interventions promote proper ergonomics. Implementing a workplace strengthening program or using physical therapy centered on strength training has reduced the risk of WMSDs for those individuals with physically demanding jobs.[5][31] Ergonomic training programs for employees have been proven beneficial at reducing poor posturing and frequency of WMSDs but have also noted difficulties in concluding the best method and means for completing education for personnel retention and application.[32][33] In addition, ensuring that the task is matched to the physical capacity of the individual performing (and altering assigned tasks if not) is a crucial component to ensure worker safety. This is particularly critical for females as they tend to have a higher rate of WMSDs.[3][6][10] Support for coworkers is another component required to provide adequate support when tasks require increased personnel to complete safely. Due to the impact interwork relationships have on the perception of overall health and well-being, which has been shown to impact the perception of pain.[11][12][34][26]

In healthcare, the lack of data in specialty settings and for females is one of the biggest hindrances for ergonomic implementation. Continued efforts are needed to establish sound data for the ergonomic needs and implications for both areas, especially as more females enter the healthcare field in recent years. This is particularly important not only for the health of the individual clinicians but also due to the economic burden resulting from WMSDs. WMSDs have been cited as the most expensive work-related disability. As females are already at an increased risk of sustaining WMSDs coupled with a lack of current recommendations specific to their stature and physical ability, the need for ongoing research and recommendations is critical.[16][35] Moreover, established SPHM programs require constant updating and review to monitor retention of knowledge and burnout, which is often a factor in the healthcare workers' satisfaction, which they do not mention or report willingly.[16] The home healthcare sector faces extensive ergonomic limitations due to the fluidity of the work environment, including lack of control and ability to set up an ergonomic workstation, increased physical and mental stress of travel to the patient's location, and difficulty in staffing shortages, which increase demand on the individuals. Continued focus on worker and patient safety, including prioritizing adequate time to complete physically demanding tasks over productivity, is critical, especially in the home setting.[34]