ABSTRACT
The results of a survey of computer use patterns among 180 physicians and 63 nurse practitioners and physician assistants (NP/PAs) within multiple clinics of a major healthcare system in the USA are summarized. Results show that a majority of respondents work with desktop or laptop computers for much of the day and that while clinical computer use had increased during the 12 months prior to the survey the time for face-to-face interactions with patients had decreased. Two thirds of respondents reported daily use of a desk mounted computer yet only 20% said that they often made adjustments to the keyboard and monitor position. Over two thirds of respondents did not use a mobile computer cart and around two thirds did not use a wall-mounted computer at work. Over two thirds of respondents reported not being at all involved in the planning or the design of either their clinical workplace or their computer workstations and only around 5% said that they had an "expert knowledge" of ergonomics. Implications are described.
