Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37684666›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2023

A participatory ergonomics intervention to re-design work and improve the musculoskeletal health of paramedics: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Karen Davies, Victoria Weale, Jodi Oakman

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Karen DaviesCentre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia. K.Davies@latrobe.edu.au.
Victoria WealeCentre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.
Jodi OakmanCentre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.
La Trobe University · AUNSW Ambulance · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn this paper, we present the protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a participative risk management intervention to address work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The aims of the study include to evaluate the implementation process and the impact of the intervention on work related musculoskeletal pain and discomfort and exposure to physical and psychosocial hazards in paramedics over a 12-month period.

methodsThe intervention in this study is to implement A Participative Hazard Identification and Risk Management (APHIRM) toolkit in an ambulance service. Eighteen work groups containing eligible participants (registered paramedics) will be randomised into the intervention or wait-list control arm in one of three rolling recruitment periods. The APHIRM toolkit survey will be offered at baseline and 12 months later, to all current eligible participants in each work group allocated to the trial. The intervention work groups will receive the remainder of the APHIRM toolkit procedures. Identifying data about individual participants will not be collected in the survey, to protect participant privacy and encourage participation. Changes in primary (musculoskeletal pain and discomfort) and secondary (exposure to physical and psychosocial hazards at work) outcomes measured in the survey will be analysed comparing the baseline and follow up response of the cluster. A process evaluation is included to analyse the implementation and associated barriers or facilitators. DISCUSSION: This study is important in providing a comprehensive approach which focusses on both physical and psychosocial hazards using worker participation, to address WMSDs, a well-known and significant problem for ambulance services. The effectiveness of the intervention in work groups will be rigorously evaluated. If significant positive results are observed, the intervention may be adopted in ambulance services, both nationally and internationally.

trial registrationISRCTN77150219. Registered 21 November 2021.

Indexed as

Musculoskeletal PainErgonomicsHumansParamedicsPhysical ExaminationRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk ManagementAmbulance serviceAPHIRM toolkitCluster RCTInterventionMusculoskeletal painParamedicsParticipatory ergonomicsRisk managementWork-related musculoskeletal disorders

Identifiers

PMID37684666
PMCPMC10485987
OpenAlexW4386546709

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.