Measuring the physical demands of work in hospital settings: design and implementation of an ergonomics assessment.

BACKGROUND Assessing the physical demands of the heterogeneous jobs in hospitals requires appropriate and validated assessment methodologies. METHODS As part of an integrated assessment, we adapted Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), using it in a work sampling mode facilitated by a hand-held personal digital assistant, expanding it with selected items from the UC Computer Use Checklist, and developed a scoring algorithm for ergonomics risk factors for the upper (UB) and lower body (LB). RESULTS The inter-rater reliability kappa was 0.54 for UB and 0.66 for LB. The scoring algorithm demonstrated significant variation (ANOVA p<0.05) by occupation in anticipated directions (administrators ranked lowest; support staff ranked highest on both scores). A supplemental self-assessment measure of spinal loading correlated with high strain LB scores (r=0.30; p<0.001). CONCLUSION We developed and validated a scoring algorithm incorporating a revised REBA schema adding computer use items, appropriate for ergonomics assessment across a range of hospital jobs.