Electronic medical records and upper extremity symptoms: pain with the gain?

摘要

Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms (UEMSs) lead workplace injuries nationwide, incur the longest absence among service sector workplace injuries (28 days median, exceeding fractures and amputations) , and can foster multiple spells of lost work time, so that work loss per episode underestimates the impact of UEMSs (by approximately 32% at 5 years). Numerous studies link computer use to UEMSs. However, to our knowledge, whether such symptoms affect physicians practicing at facilities using integrated electronic medical records (EMRs) has not been assessed. We evaluated the prevalence of UEMSs attributed to computer workstation use in 2 medical facilities with different EMR systems.