RESEARCH - Problems experienced by people with arthritis when using a computer

[Guest guest]

Arthritis Rheum. 2009 May 15;61(5):614-22.

Problems experienced by people with arthritis when using a computer.

Baker NA, JC, Rubinstein EN, Allaire SH, Wasko MC.

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of computer use problems

experienced by a sample of people with arthritis, and to determine

differences in the magnitude of these problems among people with

rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and fibromyalgia (FM).

METHODS: Subjects were recruited from the Arthritis Network Disease

Registry and asked to complete a survey, the Computer Problems Survey,

which was developed for this study. Descriptive statistics were

calculated for the total sample and the 3 diagnostic subgroups.

Ordinal regressions were used to determine differences between the

diagnostic subgroups with respect to each equipment item while

controlling for confounding demographic variables.

RESULTS: A total of 359 respondents completed a survey. Of the 315

respondents who reported using a computer, 84% reported a problem with

computer use attributed to their underlying disorder, and

approximately 77% reported some discomfort related to computer use.

Equipment items most likely to account for problems and discomfort

were the chair, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Of the 3 subgroups,

significantly more respondents with FM reported more severe

discomfort, more problems, and greater limitations related to computer

use than those with RA or OA for all 4 equipment items.

CONCLUSION: Computer use is significantly affected by arthritis. This

could limit the ability of a person with arthritis to participate in

work and home activities. Further study is warranted to delineate

disease-related limitations and develop interventions to reduce them.

PMID: 19405002

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19405002

Not an MD