Abstract:
Pharmacists who dispense medications have ergonomic risks because of their work postures, which can affect the musculoskeletal system. This study analyzed the ergonomic risks before and after the improvements of the workstation of the pharmacists who dispensed drugs in an outpatient pharmacy room. Research employed a quasi-experimental design with the sample size of 10 pharmacists working at the outpatient drug dispensing unit. Subject participation was voluntary. The study utilized a general questionnaire, the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool for ergonomic risk evaluation, and electromyography to measure the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC). The findings indicated a significant reduction in ergonomic risk on the right side of the body, from very high to medium, following workstation improvements (p < 0.05). However, no significant change was detected on the left side (p-value: 0.08). Additionally, %MVC analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in muscle activity of the Right anterior deltoid (p-value < 0.05), Left anterior deltoid (p-value < 0.05), Right middle deltoid (p-value < 0.05), Left middle deltoid (p-value < 0.05), Right biceps brachii (p-value < 0.05), Left biceps brachii (p-value < 0.05), Right upper trapezius (p-value < 0.05) and Left upper trapezius (p-value < 0.05). In conclusion, the results demonstrated that improving workstation design effectively mitigated ergonomic risks for pharmacists. This approach should be adopted in the development of future workstations to enhance occupational health and safety.