The Potential Reduction in Musculoskeletal Injury in the Nonscanning Arm by Using VoiceScan Technology During Sonographic Examinations

Abstract

Between 84% and 93% of sonographers in North America and Australia have reported musculo-skeletal injuries related to their work activities. One type of occupational injury affects the non-scanning arm as sonographers reach for the control panel to manipulate the controls of the ultrasound equipment. A number of factors contribute to the reduction of these injuries, including improved ergonomic equipment designs. An important ergonomic design that targets the operator’s nonscanning arm is a voice-activated control panel. The goals of this study were (1) to test the alternate hypothesis that there is significant difference in muscle activity of the upper trapezius muscle between three positions of forward flexion of the nonscanning arm and (2) to determine the efficacy of using voice activation technology to reduce the muscle activity required by the nonscanning arm to manipulate the keyboard of the ultrasound equipment.