AI Insight
This systematic mapping review analyzed 93 peer-reviewed publications from 2000-2025 to examine ergonomic interventions for preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders among sonographers, who report injury rates near 90%. The research reveals a conceptual shift from traditional education-based approaches toward technology-driven solutions such as workstation automation and specialized transducer handles, demonstrating that education-only models have reached their effectiveness threshold due to environmental constraints and high patient volumes that override individual behavioral changes.
Why it matters
The findings provide evidence-based guidance for hospital administrators and medical equipment manufacturers to prioritize systemic environmental modifications and technological solutions over individual posture training, potentially reducing the chronic injury crisis affecting sonography workforce sustainability and retention.
Understand the Science
⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
The sonography profession faces a persistent occupational health crisis, with nearly 90% of practitioners reporting work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) despite two decades of ergonomic education. This study performs a definitive bibliometric analysis to map the evolution of ergonomic technology and interventions for WRMSDs from 2000 to 2025. Addressing this unabated prevalence of injury is paramount to ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of the imaging workforce amid rising clinical demands. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, the methodology utilized the Scopus database to extract a curated dataset of 93 peer-reviewed publications. Quantitative and network analyses were performed using VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix R-package to evaluate publication growth, leading contributors, and thematic clusters. The findings reveal a conceptual shift from foundational hazard identification toward high-order technological solutions, such as workstation automation and specialised transducer handles. Notably, the results indicate that traditional education-only models have reached a maximum threshold, as environmental constraints and high patient volumes frequently override individual behavioural changes. By providing the first integrated evaluation of the transition from awareness to technology-driven intervention, this study fills a critical gap in the literature regarding the structural role of technology as a prevention support tool. In practice, these findings provide a roadmap for hospital administrators and manufacturers to prioritise proactive environmental transformation over individual posture correction to safeguard practitioners’ health. Keywords: Sonographer Ergonomics; musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs); Bibliometric Mapping; Technological Intervention; Workforce Sustainability.