PACS pain: Long hours at digital workstations leads to repetitive strain injury

Working longer hours at a breast-imaging PACS workstation is increasing repetitive strain injury (RSI) among radiologists, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

“Digital imaging saves time and costs and improves efficiency, but with increasing case volumes and longer workstation hours, radiologists may develop painful RSI symptoms that limit productivity,” wrote Atalie C. Thompson, MD, MPH, of Stanford University’s School of Medicine and the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues.

An increase in RSI was not only tied to working longer hours, but also to a doctor’s younger age and the time spent in an awkward, uncomfortable position.

Slightly more than sixty percent (60.2) of 727 radiologists who responded to the study said they had RSI, while 33.3 percent reported prior treatment for overuse syndrome (RSS). 

More than half of the respondents (56. 9 percent) said they worked eight hours or more at a workstation. Yet few of those surveyed used all of the available ergonomic equipment, which has been found to lessen RSI, the authors noted.

Most respondents (80.3 percent) said a PACS workstation had been installed at their workplace. Digital mammography made up the majority (90.9 percent) of screenings; 8.4 percent were both digital and analog and just 0.7 percent were all analog.

The odds of having current RSI symptoms went up with decreasing age, a greater number of hours spent working each day, and a greater number of hours spent in an awkward position (for example, with wrist bent, stooping), wrote the authors.

The neck was said to be the area most affected by RSI according to most of the respondents (71.2 percent). The shoulder was chosen as the next most affected site by more than half (58.7 percent), followed by the upper back (46.8 percent), and wrists (45.4 percent).

The study also looked at the number of hours per day spent working in an awkward posture, including bent at the waist leaning forward, kneeling, stooping, squatting and reaching overhead. The majority of respondents (41.5 percent), said they spent two hours or less in an awkward position, but 22.1 percent reported spending six hours or more.

Most respondents (91.7 percent) reported using an ergonomic adjustable chair and more than half (56.4) percent said they used an adjustable table. Only 17.7 percent said they used an ergonomic mouse or a peripheral input device.

Most of those surveyed (86.6 percent) had not had ergonomic training. However, a majority (84.8 percent) said they were interested in having it.

Respondents said their pain level increased after implementation of a PACS workstation. However, those who underwent ergonomic training and/or used ergonomic equipment reported a significant decrease in pain, according to the authors.