Influence of Prolonged Visual Display Terminal Use on Physical and Mental Conditions among Health Care Workers at Tertiary Hospitals, Taiwan

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effects of prolonged VDT working time on physical and mental health disadvantages among health care workers (HCWs) in tertiary hospitals based on their work characteristics, age, and sex. Included in the study were 945 and 1868 participants in the non-doctor/nurse and doctor/nurse groups, respectively. The questionnaire included VDT usage-related information, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), computer vision syndrome (CVS), perceived occupational stress, burnout, the Brief Symptom Rating Scale-5 (BSRS-5), and self-rated health (SRH). After adjustment, multiple logistical regression analysis revealed that the two groups showed that the longer the VDT working time, the higher the risk of muscle pain, severe headaches, severe job stress, and self-assessed bad sleep quality. This showed that the condition of the doctor/nurse group was more severe than that of the non-doctor/nurse group. According to the stratified analysis by sex and age, in the group of women under the age of 30, the adjusted odds ratio value of physical and mental conditions increased with longer VDT working time and was statistically significant. The result show that it is important to reduce daily VDT exposure for doctor, nurses, and women under 30.