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Prevalence Assessment of Musculoskeletal and Visual Symptoms Among Pathological Anatomy Service Workers

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Health and Social Care Systems of the Future: Demographic Changes, Digital Age and Human Factors (HEPS 2019)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1012))

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Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal and visual symptoms among pathological anatomy service workers and to assess the workers’ opinions about their actual working conditions. The data were collected using a questionnaire specifically developed for this purpose. The Chi-square test and Cramer’s V coefficient were used to identify possible associations between variables (individual/work-related characteristics) and the prevalence of complaints (musculoskeletal or visual fatigue). The main results of this study have highlighted that the work done in this pathological anatomy service entails risk factors which may be responsible for the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and the high levels of eyestrain. The main regions affected and the main visual symptoms are in accordance with the results reported by other studies. In general, there were no statistically significant associations between variables (individual/work-related characteristics) and the prevalence of complaints reported by the workers. This study supports the need for an ergonomic intervention at workplace to improve working conditions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ergonomia, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1499-002, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal

    Rita Martins, Filipa Carvalho & Rui B. Melo

  2. CIAUD (Centro de Investigação em Arquitetura, Urbanismo e Design), Faculdade de Arquitetura, Universidade de Lisboa, 1349-055, Lisbon, Portugal

    Filipa Carvalho & Rui B. Melo

Authors
  1. Rita Martins
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  2. Filipa Carvalho
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  3. Rui B. Melo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Filipa Carvalho .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Laboratório de Ergonomia, CIAUD, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Teresa Patrone Cotrim

  2. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Centro de Investigação em Saúde Pública, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Florentino Serranheira

  3. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Centro de Investigação em Saúde Pública, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Paulo Sousa

  4. Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

    Sue Hignett

  5. Centre for Patient Safety, Tuscany, Italy

    Sara Albolino

  6. Careggi University Hospital, Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety Center, Tuscany, Italy

    Riccardo Tartaglia

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Martins, R., Carvalho, F., Melo, R.B. (2019). Prevalence Assessment of Musculoskeletal and Visual Symptoms Among Pathological Anatomy Service Workers. In: Cotrim, T., Serranheira, F., Sousa, P., Hignett, S., Albolino, S., Tartaglia, R. (eds) Health and Social Care Systems of the Future: Demographic Changes, Digital Age and Human Factors. HEPS 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1012. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24067-7_12

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