Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia , Brescia , Italy.
Radiology Unit, Chiari General Hospital , Chiari (BS) , Italy.
Ergonomics. 2019 Oct;62(10):1301-1312. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2019.1647349. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
Several surveys and clinical studies report high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among sonographers and sonologists. Better performing ultrasound devices can increase the number and quality of examinations, but also reduce the user comfort and increase the risk of WMSDs. This should lead the choice of the device to buy and use. To support hospitals or diagnostic centres in selecting the best ultrasound device, this study provides a structured methodology based on a multi-criteria approach, the Analytic Hierarchy Process. It has a Goal (to optimise workers' well-being and satisfy company production objectives) and 45 evaluation elements. It was applied in an Italian hospital comparing 3 alternatives: wireless, portable, and cart-based. The latter proved to be the best in satisfying the Goal, whereas a previous study obtained that the wireless device was preferable considering only the ergonomic point of view. The case study validated the applicability of the methodology. This paper provides the decision-makers of hospitals or diagnostic centres with a multi-criteria methodology to select the best ultrasound device capable of optimising workers' well-being and satisfying company production objectives. The methodology can also support manufacturers of ultrasound devices in improving their products. AHP: analytic hierarchy process; AIUM: American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine; BSI: British Standards Institution; CEN: European Committee for Standardisation; EU-OSHA: EU Agency for Occupational Safety and Health; ISO: International Organisation for Standardisation; MCMD: multiple criteria decision-making; NIOSH: US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; SDMS: society of diagnostic medical sonography; WHO: World Health OrganizationWMSD: work-related musculoskeletal disorder.
几项调查和临床研究报告称，超声医师和超声科医生中与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病（WMSD）的患病率很高。性能更好的超声设备可以增加检查的数量和质量，但也会降低用户舒适度并增加 WMSD 的风险。这应该会导致购买和使用设备的选择。为了支持医院或诊断中心选择最佳的超声设备，本研究提供了一种基于多标准方法的结构化方法，即层次分析法。它有一个目标（优化工人的福祉并满足公司的生产目标）和 45 个评估要素。它在一家意大利医院进行了应用，比较了 3 种替代方案：无线、便携式和推车式。后者被证明在满足目标方面是最好的，而之前的一项研究仅从人体工程学角度得出无线设备更可取的结论。案例研究验证了该方法的适用性。本文为医院或诊断中心的决策者提供了一种多标准方法，用于选择能够优化工人福祉并满足公司生产目标的最佳超声设备。该方法还可以为超声设备制造商提供改进产品的支持。AHP：层次分析法；AIUM：美国超声医学协会；BSI：英国标准协会；CEN：欧洲标准化委员会；EU-OSHA：欧盟职业安全与健康局；ISO：国际标准化组织；MCMD：多标准决策；NIOSH：美国职业安全与健康研究所；SDMS：诊断性医疗超声学会；WHO：世界卫生组织；WMSD：与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病。
