Radiography (London, England : 1995) · 2026
Prevalence and associated factors of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among sonographers in Singapore: An exploratory cross-sectional study.
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Tang L E, Bintalib S O, Soh B P
Аннотация
INTRODUCTION: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are widely reported among sonographers and are associated with pain, reduced productivity and work disability. This exploratory study examined the prevalence of self-reported WMSDs among sonographers in Singapore and their unadjusted associations with demographic factors and ergonomic awareness.
METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with sonographers working across 24 healthcare institutions in Singapore. The survey collected demographic and work-related characteristics, ergonomic awareness items and discomfort across 12 body regions using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). Associations were analysed using univariable logistic regression and non-parametric tests.
RESULTS: Almost all 68 participants (98.5%) reported WMSDs. The most commonly affected regions were the shoulders (88.1%), lower back (77.6%) and neck (68.7%). Age and years of service were not significantly associated with WMSD prevalence in most regions, except for higher unadjusted odds of lower back discomfort among those aged ≥40 years (OR 7.25., 95% CI 1.08-48.5, p = 0.04). Most respondents reported good ergonomic awareness, however, overall awareness was not associated with lower discomfort (p = 0.18). Awareness that regular breaks reduce pain and injury risk and the self-reported behaviour of stretching after scans were associated with lower discomfort scores (p = 0.01).
CONCLUSION: WMSDs were highly prevalent among sonographers in Singapore despite good ergonomic awareness. Demographic factors were not consistent predictors in univariable analyses. This suggests a potential ergonomic knowledge and practice gap, though causal conclusions cannot be drawn from these cross-sectional data.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Organisational measures such as protected break schedules, workload management and targeted ergonomics training may be strategies worth exploring to support WMSD prevention among sonographers. Larger, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions.
METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with sonographers working across 24 healthcare institutions in Singapore. The survey collected demographic and work-related characteristics, ergonomic awareness items and discomfort across 12 body regions using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). Associations were analysed using univariable logistic regression and non-parametric tests.
RESULTS: Almost all 68 participants (98.5%) reported WMSDs. The most commonly affected regions were the shoulders (88.1%), lower back (77.6%) and neck (68.7%). Age and years of service were not significantly associated with WMSD prevalence in most regions, except for higher unadjusted odds of lower back discomfort among those aged ≥40 years (OR 7.25., 95% CI 1.08-48.5, p = 0.04). Most respondents reported good ergonomic awareness, however, overall awareness was not associated with lower discomfort (p = 0.18). Awareness that regular breaks reduce pain and injury risk and the self-reported behaviour of stretching after scans were associated with lower discomfort scores (p = 0.01).
CONCLUSION: WMSDs were highly prevalent among sonographers in Singapore despite good ergonomic awareness. Demographic factors were not consistent predictors in univariable analyses. This suggests a potential ergonomic knowledge and practice gap, though causal conclusions cannot be drawn from these cross-sectional data.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Organisational measures such as protected break schedules, workload management and targeted ergonomics training may be strategies worth exploring to support WMSD prevention among sonographers. Larger, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions.