IMPLEMENTING PARTICIPATORY ERGONOMICS TEAMS AMONG HEALTH-CARE WORKERS

Three participatory ergonomics teams have been established among healt hcare workers in a metropolitan medical center Three teams, consisting of orderlies, intensive care unit nurses, and laboratory workers, wer e selected to provide a diversity of work activities and educational b ackgrounds. The effectiveness of these teams was assessed by observati ons of team interactions, by team members' perceptions of their effect iveness and by the teams' success in identifying problems and implemen ting solutions. After I year one of the three groups has been highly e ffective by these measures. To varying degrees, the groups encountered competing time demands and obstacles in implementing solutions within current administrative structures. For some groups of health care wor kers, participatory ergonomics teams seem to be an effective strategy to improve health and safely. This approach may not be feasible in all areas of health care, especially in high-demand clinical areas where patient needs may take precedence over the safety of health care worke rs. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.