Abstract
Objectives: To study the effectiveness of workplace interventions aimed at reducing the occurrence of upper-extremity
musculoskeletal disorders or their related risk factors.
methods: Articles published between 1990 and 2008 were searched in OVID, Cochrane, y EBSCO Host databases.
Interventions not conducted at the workplace were excluded. Two peers selected and reviewed the articles. The results are
based on the quantity and quality of articles providing similar conclusions regarding different types of interventions.
Results: Fifty-one studies were included in this review, all describing a variety of preventive interventions in workplaces
and on workers, mainly among visual display unit (VDUs) users. Only twelve studies in the review were considered of high
quality. We found moderate evidence for the benefits of comprehensive changes in workplaces, educational interventions
in workers and use of alternative computer input devices intended to achieve more adequate upper-extremity postures.
Conclusions: The heterogeneity and frequent methodological flaws of reviewed studies do not allow us to reach conclusive
results on the effectiveness of the most reviewed interventions. Evaluation studies of interventions for risks other than
computer-related ones are greatly needed.
musculoskeletal disorders or their related risk factors.
methods: Articles published between 1990 and 2008 were searched in OVID, Cochrane, y EBSCO Host databases.
Interventions not conducted at the workplace were excluded. Two peers selected and reviewed the articles. The results are
based on the quantity and quality of articles providing similar conclusions regarding different types of interventions.
Results: Fifty-one studies were included in this review, all describing a variety of preventive interventions in workplaces
and on workers, mainly among visual display unit (VDUs) users. Only twelve studies in the review were considered of high
quality. We found moderate evidence for the benefits of comprehensive changes in workplaces, educational interventions
in workers and use of alternative computer input devices intended to achieve more adequate upper-extremity postures.
Conclusions: The heterogeneity and frequent methodological flaws of reviewed studies do not allow us to reach conclusive
results on the effectiveness of the most reviewed interventions. Evaluation studies of interventions for risks other than
computer-related ones are greatly needed.
| Translated title of the contribution | Prevention of upper-extremity musculoskeletal Work-related disorders: a systematic review |
|---|---|
| Original language | Spanish |
| Pages (from-to) | 138-146 |
| Journal | Archivos de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - 2011 |