“Health care is the last sector of the American economy to computerize,” says Hedge. “Hospitals are introducing computer technology without really thinking about the potential for injuries to the people who are using it and the potential for that technology to actually result in more mistakes. That’s why ergonomics is proving a value when looking at the health care establishment.”

In terms of the likelihood of sustaining injuries, the health care environment happens to be the second riskiest sector to work in – the only more dangerous industry is mining.

“I mean [health care] ought to be the safest place to work, right?” says Hedge.

Extent of injuries
When health care employees experience discomfort or sustain injuries on the job, the pain impacts more than just the individual – it may cost the hospital a pretty penny.

“As it turns out, when folks are experiencing discomfort, they’re not only less productive but they’re more likely to make mistakes. Poor ergonomic setups also lead to fatigue,” says Humascale’s Puleio. “From a cost perspective, having a group of employees who are uncomfortable or are experiencing pain is a very costly proposition.”

Examples of potential injuries for health care professionals include chronic back pain, spinal injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive stress injuries, cubital tunnel syndrome, neck and shoulder strains, tendonitis and eyestrain. Such injuries contribute to higher levels of workers’ compensation claims, decreased productivity, inefficiency, turnover and an increased potential for errors.

Puleio cites a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that examined computer use among office workers. It found that more than 52 percent of the population was working with discomfort and the average loss of productive time exceeded five hours per week.

“When [the researchers] generalized the results to the U.S. population, they estimated that this is more than a $61.2 billion problem,” says Puleio.

Injuries affecting nurses — an aging workforce in America — are most often associated with manual lifting of patients. However, nurses also face the problems associated with today’s digital hospital environment.

“Now there’s a tendency to have a computer in every patient’s room or have a computer on a mobile cart that gets pushed around a hospital,” says Cornell’s Hedge. “Those computers are usually not properly adjusted to the people who are using them, so they work in awkward postures for long periods of time, and as a result, injuries to nurses are on the increase from repetitive motion problems.”

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