Barbara Adamson

The Impact of a Computerized Work Environment on Professional Occupational Groups and Behavioural and Physiological Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Symptoms: A Literature Review

Introduction Computers have become an essential tool for many office based professional occupations, but their use is also accompanied by change to work demands and psychosocial work environment. Whilst considerable research exists relating to the potential health risks associated with computer work amongst semi-skilled occupations, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the impact of an increasingly computerized workplace on the physical and psychological wellbeing of professional occupations. Methods A literature search was conducted using OVID Medline, PsycINFO and Cinahl databases. Papers published between 1980 and 2007 were selected for review. These included epidemiological and experimental studies that explored the relationships among occupational demands and stressors, work behaviours and musculoskeletal health in workers operating in a computerized work environment. Results In response to workload, deadline and performance monitoring pressures, many professional workers are often encouraged to perform long hours of computer work with high mental demands; work at a hectic workpace resulting in heightened muscle tension and forces, and with inadequate work breaks. These factors were identified in this review as risk factors for work related musculoskeletal symptoms. Conclusion As new technology continues to computerise the way professionals do their work, it is important for organizations to identify and measure the risks to health and wellbeing associated with these changes. Further research with professional groups is needed to support effective risk management decisions.

University Education and the Physiotherapy Professional

Summary The growth and development of physiotherapy is influenced significantly by the professional abilities and potential of its new graduates. Physiotherapy graduates need to have skills and attributes relevant to their day-to-day practice to enable them to be confident and competent. They also need skills and attributes that will enable them to adapt to changes and develop professionally. It could be assumed that physiotherapists are well equipped for their future role, because, as well as gaining discipline-specific technical competence, as university graduates they are expected to have generic skills and attributes in such areas as communication, thinking, learning, teamwork, research, evaluation and problem solving. However, possession of these generic university-education skills does not, alone, provide a guarantee of competence in the workplace. The education process must equip graduate physiotherapists for professional survival in a health care environment in which the funding and organisation of health care are changing. This paper examines the need for the profession and its educators to review current teaching in physiotherapy. It explores curriculum and teaching strategies that could be implemented to foster required skills and attributes in its newest graduates to ensure that they meet the needs of the community, thereby facilitating the ongoing development of the profession.

Occupational Therapists' Perceptions of Their Undergraduate Preparation for the Workplace:

The health care environment is undergoing rapid change. This has major implications for health science education programmes. The extent to which university education prepares graduates for the requirements of the workplace has become an important issue in the health science literature. The present study investigated the perceptions of 144 graduate occupational therapists regarding the adequacy of their undergraduate education at the University of Sydney in equipping them for the workplace. The findings indicated that occupational therapy graduates perceived significant gaps between the knowledge and skills gained during their undergraduate course and those required in the workplace, particularly in the areas of communication with other health professionals and the general public, knowledge of the health industry and workplace management. This paper considers the implications of workplace requirements and expectations for the occupational therapy course curricula.

Prevalence and risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms with computer based work across occupations.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare the 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and risk factors associated with computer based work between occupations in a sample of Australian public sector employees. METHOD A cross-sectional study was completed with employees of 6 government departments. An online survey was electronically distributed to over 8,000 employees characterised by a range of occupational groups and levels of employment. Data collected included individual and employment characteristics, estimation of hours worked with a computer per day and self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the upper extremity and spinal areas using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. RESULTS Responses from 934 completed surveys could be used. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of reported musculoskeletal symptoms between occupational groups except for the wrist/hand and elbow areas. Estimated duration of computer work per day was significantly associated with increased musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck (OR 1.41, 95%CI: 1.09 to 1.83), wrist/hand/s (OR 1.46, 95%CI: 1.17 to 1.83) and elbow/s (OR 1.41, 95%CI: 1.07 to 1.85) areas, with the finding of a linear relationship between hours worked and prevalence of symptoms. A greater proportion of employees in higher level management and professional occupational groups were found to be working with a computer in excess of 6 to 8 hours per day compared with those in non-professional (administration and secretarial) groups. CONCLUSION Hours worked with a computer per day was a significant risk factor for reported musculoskeletal symptoms amongst all occupational groups working in Australian public sector offices. No significant difference in the level of risk was found between occupations.

Physiotherapists' perceptions of the gap between education and practice

The extent to which a university education prepares graduates for the workplace has become an important issue in the health science literature internationally. New challenges in the workplace suggest that physiotherapists need knowledge and skills additional to those pertaining to the client-therapist interface. However, there are few data on which to base decisions for curricula changes. The present study investigated the perceptions of 239 graduate physiotherapists regarding the adequacy of their undergraduate education at The University of Sydney in equipping them for the current workplace. The results indicated that physiotherapy graduates perceived important gaps between the knowledge and skills gained as a result of their university education and those required in the workplace, particularly in the areas of communication with clients, coping in the workplace, knowledge of the health industry and workplace management. The results highlight the need for change in the educational preparation of physiot...

Teaching Time and Organizational Management Skills to First Year Health Science Students: Does Training Make a Difference?.

The present study reports on new research conducted to determine whether teaching time and organizational skills using a training package can improve these skills. The Abbreviated Time Management Indicator (ATMI) developed by Roberts et al. was used to assess time and organizational management skills. This scale consists of six dimensions, namely sense of purpose, meeting deadlines, mechanics of time management, propensity to plan, coping with temporal flow and effective organization. Participants in this study comprised first year health science students studying at the University of Sydney in their first semester. Four hundred and seventy‐eight students participated in a pre‐test (baseline) session after which they received information on their individual scores on each of the six dimensions of the scale together with average scores on each dimension for the total group (feedback). Of the original participants 122 completed the post‐test session, 5 weeks later. During the intervening period students were given a self‐directed training package which provided practical information on how to improve their skills on each of the dimensions contained in the scale. The results of the study indicated no significant improvement in time and organizational management skills. Possible reasons for the lack of improvement are discussed in terms of recent developments in teaching and learning contexts, together with suggestions for future research.

Implications for tertiary education: managerial competencies required of beginning practitioners in the health service sector

Five hundred and three experienced practitioners involved in management from four professional fields (medical radiation science, occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy) representing a range of health care settings participated in a survey. The survey examined the importance attached to managerial competencies for the beginning practitioner. The most important grouping related to management of future planning. Underlying competencies included decision making regarding time management and communication with other staff. The second most important grouping of managerial competencies related to organisational practices. These competencies included strategic and organisation-wide management processes associated with change, vision, organisational awareness and decision making. The third grouping of managerial competencies related to knowledge regarding legislation and in particular compliance with occupational health and safety regulations. Other competencies were seen as less important for the beginning practitioner. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to health science curriculum development in higher education.

Assessing Quality in Higher Education: criteria for evaluating programmes for allied health professionals

ABSTRACT Community expectations of a university education are high. New graduates are expected to possess ‘generic’ skills in addition to skills specifically related to the workplace. While it is generally agreed that graduates should acquire generic skills common across disciplines and fields of study, it has also been recognised that generic attributes must be considered in the context of individual disciplines. Sixty‐seven workplace supervisors of new graduates of the University of Sydney from five allied health professions strongly endorsed a set of ‘generic’ skills and attributes proposed by the University of Sydney as appropriate for all of its graduates. Workplace supervisors also commented on the workplace skills required by new graduates, and a questionnaire for evaluating the success of undergraduate programmes for allied health professionals was developed from these responses. Eleven reliable factors emerged from analysis of graduate responses to the questionnaire. The factors largely reflected...

Attitudes, Values and Orientation to Professional Practice: A Study of Australian Occupational Therapists

In recent years, the biomedical approach in the delivery of health care has been challenged by the ‘new public health’ model which promotes a humanistic, holistic approach to health care. Whilst occupational therapy has traditionally embraced this latter approach, evidence suggests that within the profession there is concern that technical advances (for example, the introduction of increasingly sophisticated equipment) have eroded many of the characteristics of a humanistic orientation to therapy. The extent to which occupational therapists endorse this new model was addressed in a survey of attitudes of practising occupational therapists (n = 378). A 22-item questionnaire, including aspects of therapists knowledge and techniques, client characteristics, client-therapist relationships and approaches to professional practice, was modified and adapted for use with occupational therapists. The findings indicated that attitudes reflecting the new public health model — emphasising client-therapist interaction, client responsibility and holistic attitudes toward health care — prevailed, together with the therapists knowledge and skills. Age and years of professional experience yielded significant differences, with older (30 or more years of age) and more professionally experienced (6 or more years) therapists endorsing a humanistic approach to therapy to a greater extent and with a greater emphasis on promoting the resources of the client than their younger and less professionally experienced counterparts. Recommendations for the education of occupational therapists and for professional practice are made, together with suggestions for further research.

What Managerial Skills Do Newly Graduated Occupational Therapists Need? A View from Their Managers

Ninety-four occupational therapy managers, representing a response rate of 59%, completed a questionnaire examining perceptions of the relative importance of various managerial skills for new graduates in occupational therapy. The set of skills perceived to be the most important related to the management of future planning and skills; within this set, time management, prioritising work tasks and planning goals for a work team were emphasised. The second most important set of skills related to organisational practices, such as being an advocate for the department/unit, and the third most important set of skills related to team leadership skills. Just over half of the occupational therapy managers who responded (55%) agreed that managerial skills should be taught at undergraduate level. The implications of these findings for curriculum development in undergraduate occupational therapy courses are discussed.