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Related Experiment Videos

Developing an observational instrument to evaluate personal computer keyboarding style.

Nancy A Baker1, Mark S Redfern

  • 1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, 5012 Forbers Tower, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. nab36@pitt.edu

Applied Ergonomics
|April 28, 2005
PubMed
Summary

A new observational tool, the Personal Computer Keyboarding Style (PeCKS), is being developed to document finger, hand, and thumb postures during computer use. This aims to identify risk factors for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSD-UE) associated with keyboarding.

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Area of Science:

  • Occupational health
  • Ergonomics
  • Biomechanical engineering

Background:

  • Computer use is a known risk factor for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSD-UE).
  • Limited data exists on specific finger, hand, and thumb postures and motions during keyboarding.
  • There is a need for tools to document and assess keyboarding styles for MSD-UE risk identification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the development process of the Personal Computer Keyboarding Style (PeCKS) observational instrument.
  • To create a tool for documenting and assessing keyboarding styles.
  • To identify potential risk factors for MSD-UE during computer use.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review on MSD-UE and keyboarding risk factors.
  • Content expert consultations to identify criterion-based items.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Delphi technique utilized for systematic expert review and rating of items.
  • Selection of 19 items to define keyboarding style based on expert consensus.

    • Main Results:

    • A set of 19 criterion-based items was developed to define keyboarding style.
    • The Personal Computer Keyboarding Style (PeCKS) instrument is undergoing development.
    • Expert consensus was reached on items relevant to MSD-UE risk during keyboarding.

    Conclusions:

    • The PeCKS instrument shows promise for documenting and assessing keyboarding styles.
    • Further psychometric testing is required to validate the PeCKS instrument.
    • The PeCKS tool aims to aid in identifying individuals at risk for MSD-UE from keyboarding activities.