Effectiveness of an Ergonomic Management Program in Preventing Hand Musculoskeletal Injuries among Hospital Personnel in Phatthalung Hospital

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an ergonomics management program in preventing hand musculoskeletal injuries among hospital personnel at Phatthalung Hospital, a population at risk due to repetitive and sustained hand use in daily work tasks. The participants consisted of 45 hospital staff members whose work primarily involved intensive hand use and were selected using stratified random sampling. The ergonomics management program was developed based on a proactive occupational health prevention framework and comprised interventions at three levels: the individual level (ergonomic education, proper hand posture training, and hand muscle exercises), the workplace environment level (adjustment of tools, equipment, and workstations according to ergonomic principles), and the job design level (modification of task characteristics and implementation of appropriate rest periods). The program was implemented over a 24-week period, from October 2024 to March 2025. Data were collected using a personal information questionnaire, the Strain Index assessment, a hand-use behavior questionnaire, and hand grip strength testing. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests.

The results demonstrated that following the intervention, the Strain Index significantly decreased from 53.46±14.29 to 13.53±11.82. In addition, hand grip strength significantly increased from 28.14±5.26 to 30.50±5.80, and hand-use behavior scores improved from 76.38±8.73 to 96.67±7.18. All outcomes showed statistically significant differences at the 0.01 level. These findings indicate that the ergonomics management program was effective in reducing the risk of hand musculoskeletal injuries, enhancing hand functional capacity, and promoting appropriate work-related hand-use behaviors among hospital personnel. The study suggests that such ergonomics management programs should be systematically integrated into occupational health and safety practices in healthcare settings. Future research should employ controlled experimental designs and long-term follow-up to confirm the sustainability and generalizability of the intervention outcomes.