Affiliations: [a] Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| [b] Occupational Therapy Graduate Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| [c]
Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| [d]
Department of Occupational Therapy, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Shawn C. Roll, PhD, OTR/L, RMSKS, FAOTA, FAIUM; 1540 Alcazar St, Suite 133, Los Angeles CA 90033, USA. Tel.: +1 323 442 1850; E-mail: sroll@usc.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent in dental hygienists. Although engineering controls and ergonomic training is available, it is unclear why this intransigent problem continues. One possible barrier is that a comprehensive, standardized protocol for evaluating dental hygiene work does not exist. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to generate a valid and reliable observational protocol for the assessment of dental hygiene work. METHODS:An iterative process was used to establish and refine an ecologically valid video acquisition and observation protocol to assess key activities, tasks, and performance components of dental hygiene work. RESULTS:Good inter-rater reliability was achieved across all variables when the final coding scheme was completed by three independent raters. CONCLUSIONS:This work provides an exemplar of the process required to generate a comprehensive protocol for evaluating the work components of a particular job, and provides standardized nomenclature for use by scientists and practitioners interested in understanding and addressing the pervasive issue of work-related disorders in dental hygienists.
Keywords: Dental hygienists, research protocol, clinical, ergonomics
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-213534
Journal: Work, vol. 69, no. 3, pp. 1041-1052, 2021
