Work - Volume Pre-press, issue Pre-press

Authors: Abbott-Gaffney, Cynthia R. | Gafni-Lachter, Liat Liat | Cason, Jana | Sheaffer, Katherine | Harasink, Rachael | Donehower, Kelsey | Jacobs, Karen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational therapy (OT) services delivered through telehealth demonstrated comparative effectiveness to in-person services. At the onset of the pandemic, occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) needed to continue delivering care to clients without being in-person. Many OT practitioners pivoted rapidly to telehealth, in many instances, with very little training. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the use of telehealth in occupational therapy during the early stages of the pandemic, and to explore how participants traversed the barriers. The perceived benefits and barriers to success with rapid …telehealth adoption as experienced by OTPs, along with the specific strategies used to promote favorable outcomes may inform ongoing successful telehealth use in occupational therapy. METHOD: This study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Data was collected from September to December 2020 with an electronic survey. RESULTS: A total of 193 OTPs completed the survey, representing the delivery of OT services in 13 countries. Three main barriers to the use of telehealth were availability of materials, mastery of technology, and collaboration with caregivers/e-helpers. These barriers were negatively and significantly correlated with the participants’ confidence level in the use of telehealth. Participants overcame barriers by independently obtaining telehealth training, including training within one’s organization, support from social media, self-directed learning, and paid online telehealth webinars. CONCLUSION: Employers and educators can remove barriers to telehealth use by OTPs by providing a variety of learning opportunities and supports to enhance practitioners’ confidence, thus increasing the likelihood of continued use of telehealth as a powerful and gap-bridging delivery model in occupational therapy. Show more

Keywords: Work from home, school-based practice, remote, COVID-19

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210789

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-10, 2022

Authors: Kotowski, Susan E. | Davis, Kermit G.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: As the COVID-19 pandemic took root in the United States, most universities quickly transitioned to online and remained there through spring 2021. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to identify the impact of the switch to online on student home offices and corresponding health outcomes. METHODS: An online survey was sent out to all student at a large Midwest university to assess the work practices and health outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 1074 responses were completed. The shift to online not only resulted in most students utilizing laptop computers without external monitors, keyboards, or mouse …input devices, but also a major increase in the amount of time spent using technology (on average 31 to 40 hours per week). The amount of severe to extreme discomfort in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and lower back was alarming (above 41%). CONCLUSION: The home offices of students were often sub-optimal, indicating the need to educate university students. Show more

Keywords: Telework, musculoskeletal disorders, human-computer interface, musculoskeletal discomfort, keyboard, laptops, breaks

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210905

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-8, 2022

Authors: Rampasso, Izabela Simon | Santana, Monica | Serafim, Milena Pavan | Dibbern, Thais | Rodrigues, Edilson A. | Filho, Walter Leal | Anholon, Rosley

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic made workers suddenly change their routines and several companies adopted a remote work modality. This change quickly started to be analysed in academic literature. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to perform a scientific mapping on the theme “remote work” to highlight the prominent themes associated with the subject for 2020 and 2021, covering the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying mainly the “motor themes”, this study contributes to identify themes developed and relevant to the subjects analyzed. METHODS: An initial sample of 479 articles published in the analyzed period was …listed from the Web of Science database. After analysing these articles, 186 were selected and were analyzed by Scimat software. Journals and references were also analyzed. RESULTS: The centrality and density indexes of the sub-themes “job-satisfaction” and “flexible-work” were more evidenced in the analysis, enabling the classification of these sub-themes directly as “motor themes”. Regarding the density index of the sub-theme, the classification “stress” was less seen. After a careful analysis of the articles content, it was verified that this is also a “motor theme”. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the three defined “motor themes”, they can be considered the most developed and important sub-themes of study in this field and, therefore, need to be well understood by new researchers in the field. In addition, these findings show that the mentioned sub-themes must be focused on by managers, considering the relevance that the literature attributes to them. Show more

Keywords: Business management, remote work, employees management, scientific mapping, scimat, COVID-19

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210912

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-10, 2022

Authors: Kotowski, Susan E. | Davis, Kermit G. | Barratt, Clare L.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Teachers have had to deal with many of the negative aspects of COVID-19 over the past year. The demands associated with the sudden requirement to teach remotely, and later having to manage hybrid (both in person and online) learning may be having adverse effects on the mental and physical health of teachers. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether COVID-19 continued to impact teacher stress, burnout, and wellbeing a year into the pandemic. METHODS: An online survey was sent out to 5300 teachers in public and private schools, and 703 completed the survey. RESULTS: Stress and …burnout continue to be high for teachers, with 72% of teachers feeling very or extremely stressed, and 57% feel very or extremely burned out. Many teachers struggled to have a satisfactory work-family balance (37% never or almost never; 20% only has sometimes). CONCLUSION: School systems must start to deal with the mental and physical health of teachers before a large number of them leave the profession. Show more

Keywords: Telework, online teaching, primary school, pandemic, COVID-19

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210994

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-9, 2022

Authors: Ashok, P. | Madhan Mohan, G. | Manojkumar, S.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent and have an impact across occupations. However, there are very few studies that document the prevalence of WMSDs in the pump industry. In manufacturing industries, the common issue for WMSDs and physiological stress among the workers is caused by poor working posture. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occupational risks at the winding station in the pump manufacturing industry. In addition, this study examined the influence of work-study on mitigating occupational risks. METHODS: Workers who were involved in circular coil winding and insulation testing were considered for the study. Awkward postures …adopted while performing these tasks cause fatigue, injuries and WMSDs. Tasks were evaluated as per the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards. A work-study was conducted to better understand the workflow. Virtual ergonomic postural evaluation (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment, RULA) was used to identify the occupational risks. RESULTS: Time taken for making circular windings and insulation testing (7.5 Hp submersible motor) was found to be 4.04 minutes and 0.95 minutes, respectively. A CAD model was used for ergonomic evaluation in the virtual environment. The RULA final score of 2 and 3 is attributed to coil winding and insulation testing. CONCLUSION: For further studies, the whole pump manufacturing process should be taken into account. The ergonomic tools used in this study will considerably reduce the occupation risks at the winding station in the pump manufacturing industry. Show more

Keywords: Occupational risks, process chart, time study, RULA, winding station

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210725

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-13, 2021

Authors: Khajehnasiri, Farahnaz | Samaei, Seyed Ehsan | Mehrzad, Sharzad | Taban, Ebrahim | Ghalenoei, Mehran | Salimi, Fatemeh

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Exposure to traffic noise could play an important part in inducing psychological disorders which in turn can affect individuals’ cognitive and mental performance. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of traffic noise exposure on the cognitive performance with regard to subjects’ personality traits. METHODS: Sixty students with normal hearing and vision took part in this experimental study. In order to simulate the traffic noise condition of Tehran, the noise from several busy streets was first carefully recorded. Later on, the subjects were exposed to this recorded noise in an anechoic …chamber. Also, the NEO-five factor inventory questionnaire and the continuous performance test were used to assess personality traits and cognitive performance of participants respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that the cognitive features of the study, such as reaction time and the number of commission/omission errors in continuous performance testing increased significantly after exposure to the traffic noise (p  <  0.05), and among the personality traits, only the neuroticism has a significant correlation with response time in the continuous performance tests (p  <  0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Apart from the effect of traffic noise on cognitive function, the findings of this study confirmed that Neuroticism (one of the personality traits) also significantly affect the cognitive performance of individuals when they are exposed to traffic noise in laboratory conditions. Show more

Keywords: Traffic noise, personality trait, cognitive performance, continuous performance test, NEO-FFI questionnaire

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210002

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-10, 2021

Authors: Uludag, Mesut | Vergili, Ozge | Kilic, Rabia Tugba | Oktas, Birhan | Yosmaoglu, Hayri Baran

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The ankle sprain is the most common ankle injury. Although the factors that increase the risk of ankle injury are included in the literature, the definitive evidence is controversial. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to examine whether Q-angle, lateral distal tibial angle (LDTA), and hip muscle torque are associated with ankle sprain. METHODS: Thirty-six individuals who underwent an axial X-ray examination of the lower extremity following ankle sprain were included. The Q-angle and LDTA were measured on the axial knee X-rays on both sides. The isometric muscle strength was measured with a digital …handheld dynamometer for the quadriceps femoris muscle, the gluteus medius muscle and the gluteus maximus muscle. Muscle torques were calculated by multiplying isometric muscle strength values with the distance to the joint center. RESULTS: Discrimination analysis shows that the gluteus maximus (0.90), gluteus medius (0.49), quadriceps femoris muscle torques (0.34), and lateral distal tibial angle (0.43) were the factors that most contributed to ankle sprain. No significant relationship was found between the Q-angle and ankle sprain (p  = 0.603). A strong relationship was found between LDTA, quadriceps femoris, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscle torques and ankle sprain (p  = 0.014, p  <  0.001, p  = 0.011, p  = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the torques of the proximal muscle may be more related than the Q-angle to lateral ankle sprain injury. Individuals with high LDTA should also be carefully examined for the risk of ankle sprain. Show more

Keywords: Ankle injury, muscle strength, torque, knee, lower extremity

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-210268

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-8, 2021

Authors: Mercan, Murat A. | Barlin, Hande | Begen, Nazire

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Population aging, caused by an increase in life expectancy and decrease in fertility rates, has created changes and challenges in various spheres, including the labor market. Though health deteriorates with age, more and more older adults choose to stay in the labor force and work into late life. OBJECTIVE: Understanding the effects of various work conditions on the health of older workers is crucial for designing policies and interventions to ensure healthy late life and maintain a productive workforce. To contribute to this endeavor, this study investigates the relationship between long working hours (LWH) and mortality among …older populations. METHODS: The study uses the Cox proportional hazards regression model to investigate data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) between the years 1992–2016, a longitudinal nationally representative dataset from the United States. RESULTS: The results indicate that working 50 hours or more per week is not associated with an increased risk of mortality, for the full sample (1.45 [95% CI: 0.86, 2.45]), for both genders (females 0.51 [95% CI: 0.06, 4.28], males 1.45 [95% CI: 0.81, 2.61]), and for immigrants (female immigrants 0.55 [95% CI: 0.06, 4.75], male immigrants 1.44 [95% CI: 0.79, 2.62]). CONCLUSIONS: This analysis confirms and extends the findings of earlier studies by taking into consideration the potential impact of many demographic, socioeconomic, work-related and health-related factors. Show more

Keywords: Immigrants, population aging, work conditions

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-205175

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-15, 2021

Authors: Shin, Gee Won | Lee, Yura | Park, Taezoon | Cho, Insook | Yun, Myung Hwan | Bahn, Sangwoo | Lee, Jae-Ho

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Despite the benefits of using electronic medical record (EMR) systems, existing studies show that many healthcare providers are uncertain regarding their usability. The usability issues of these systems decrease their efficiency, discourage clinicians, and cause dissatisfaction among patients, which may result in safety risks and harm. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to collect and analyze EMR system usability problems from actual users. Practical user interface guidelines were presented based on the medical practices of these users. METHODS: Employing an online questionnaire with a seven-point Likert scale, usability issues of EMR systems were collected …from 200 emergency department healthcare providers (103 physicians (medical doctors) and 97 nurses) from South Korea. RESULTS: The most common usability problem among the physicians and nurses was generating in-patient selection. This pertained to the difficulty in finding the required information on-screen because of poor visibility and a lack of distinctiveness. CONCLUSIONS: The major problems of EMR systems and their causes were identified. It is recommended that intensive visual enhancement of EMR system interfaces should be implemented to support user tasks. By providing a better understanding of the current usability problems among medical practitioners, the results of this study can be useful for developing EMR systems with increased effectiveness and efficiency. Show more

Keywords: EMR user interface, design guidelines, clinical workflow

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-205262

Citation: Work, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-18, 2021