Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees

Bradley A. Evanoff; Jeanne H. Button; Laurie D. Wolf

doi:10.1177/154193120004400643

Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees

Bradley A. Evanoff, Jeanne H. Button, Laurie D. Wolf

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a frequent problem among office workers. We studied the effects of an ergonomics intervention among employees of a large hospital billing department. Methods: This prospective intervention trial involved employee education sessions on office ergonomics and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, plus workstation modifications. Results: 115 employees of a hospital billing department participated in the initial program and 59 completed 4-year follow-up questionnaire. The 4-year post-intervention period was marked by decreased risk of OSHA-reportable injury (RR=0.45, 95% CI 0.26-0.78). Total lost days declined from 63.2 to 6.4 per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE). Annual workers' compensation costs declined from $432/FTE to $185/FTE. These improvements were significantly greater than those seen in the hospital as a whole. The proportion of employees with musculoskeletal symptoms declined on short-term follow-up. These changes in injury and cost occurred in the setting of increasing job demands and decreasing job satisfaction. Conclusion: Substantial reductions in work-related musculoskeletal disorders were seen following an ergonomics intervention among office workers.

Original language	English
Pages	700-703
Number of pages	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/154193120004400643
State	Published - 2000
Event	Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium' - San Diego, CA, United States Duration: Jul 29 2000 → Aug 4 2000

Conference

Conference	Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium'
Country/Territory	United States
City	San Diego, CA
Period	07/29/00 → 08/4/00

Keywords

Cumulative trauma disorders
Ergonomics
Injury prevention
Intervention research
Occupational health
Office workers
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders

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10.1177/154193120004400643

Cite this

Evanoff, B. A., Button, J. H., & Wolf, L. D. (2000). Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees. 700-703. Paper presented at Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium', San Diego, CA, United States. https://doi.org/10.1177/154193120004400643

Evanoff, Bradley A. ; Button, Jeanne H. ; Wolf, Laurie D. / Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees. Paper presented at Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium', San Diego, CA, United States.4 p.

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title = "Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees",

abstract = "Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a frequent problem among office workers. We studied the effects of an ergonomics intervention among employees of a large hospital billing department. Methods: This prospective intervention trial involved employee education sessions on office ergonomics and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, plus workstation modifications. Results: 115 employees of a hospital billing department participated in the initial program and 59 completed 4-year follow-up questionnaire. The 4-year post-intervention period was marked by decreased risk of OSHA-reportable injury (RR=0.45, 95% CI 0.26-0.78). Total lost days declined from 63.2 to 6.4 per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE). Annual workers' compensation costs declined from $432/FTE to $185/FTE. These improvements were significantly greater than those seen in the hospital as a whole. The proportion of employees with musculoskeletal symptoms declined on short-term follow-up. These changes in injury and cost occurred in the setting of increasing job demands and decreasing job satisfaction. Conclusion: Substantial reductions in work-related musculoskeletal disorders were seen following an ergonomics intervention among office workers.",

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Evanoff, BA, Button, JH & Wolf, LD 2000, 'Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees', Paper presented at Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium', San Diego, CA, United States, 07/29/00 - 08/4/00 pp. 700-703. https://doi.org/10.1177/154193120004400643

Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees. / Evanoff, Bradley A.; Button, Jeanne H.; Wolf, Laurie D.
2000. 700-703 Paper presented at Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium', San Diego, CA, United States.

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

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AB - Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a frequent problem among office workers. We studied the effects of an ergonomics intervention among employees of a large hospital billing department. Methods: This prospective intervention trial involved employee education sessions on office ergonomics and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, plus workstation modifications. Results: 115 employees of a hospital billing department participated in the initial program and 59 completed 4-year follow-up questionnaire. The 4-year post-intervention period was marked by decreased risk of OSHA-reportable injury (RR=0.45, 95% CI 0.26-0.78). Total lost days declined from 63.2 to 6.4 per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE). Annual workers' compensation costs declined from $432/FTE to $185/FTE. These improvements were significantly greater than those seen in the hospital as a whole. The proportion of employees with musculoskeletal symptoms declined on short-term follow-up. These changes in injury and cost occurred in the setting of increasing job demands and decreasing job satisfaction. Conclusion: Substantial reductions in work-related musculoskeletal disorders were seen following an ergonomics intervention among office workers.

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ER -

Evanoff BA, Button JH, Wolf LD. Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees. 2000. Paper presented at Proceedings of the XIVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association and 44th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association, 'Ergonomics for the New Millennnium', San Diego, CA, United States. doi: 10.1177/154193120004400643

Effects of an ergonomics intervention among hospital billing department employees

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