Feasibility of using a walking workstation during CT image interpretation.

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Occupational Health and Ergonomics
• Public Health and Obesity Prevention

Background:

• Obesity affects two-thirds of the US population, with sedentary lifestyles contributing significantly.
• Reducing sedentary work environments is a potential strategy for obesity mitigation.
• The integration of physical activity into demanding professional tasks is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of employing a walking workstation for interpreting computed tomographic (CT) images.
• To evaluate the impact of a walking workstation on diagnostic performance during image interpretation.

Main Methods:

• Two radiologists reinterpreted 100 CT examinations while walking at 1 mph on a treadmill workstation.
• Interpretations were conducted more than one year after initial readings to minimize recall bias.
• Discrepant findings were classified by clinical importance, with significant findings rated 3 or higher.

Main Results:

• Walking workstation interpretation showed significantly higher detection rates for clinically important findings compared to conventional methods.
• Reviewer 1 achieved 99.0% detection with walking vs. 88.9% conventionally (P = .0003).
• Reviewer 2 achieved 99.1% detection with walking vs. 81.3% conventionally (P < .0001).

Conclusions:

• Employing a walking workstation for cross-sectional image interpretation is feasible.
• The walking workstation approach demonstrated a significant improvement in the detection of important findings.
• Further research is warranted to fully evaluate the impact on diagnostic accuracy.