Body position affects manual dexterity.
To evaluate the relationship between posture and psychomotor efficiency, 20 anesthesia providers performed a test requiring manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination while seated, kneeling, and standing bent forward at the waist. Performance on the Grooved Pegboard Test improved 6%-10% (P < 0.005) when subjects were seated compared to kneeling and standing bent at the waist, positions that the subjects rated as more painful and less comfortable than sitting. Sitting improved manual dexterity more in subjects with poor scores than it did in subjects with good performance. This study demonstrates improved manual dexterity in subjects seated in a comfortable position.
Buffington
Charles W
CW
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. BuffingtonCW@anes.upmc.edu
MacMurdo
Stanley D
SD
Ryan
Christopher M
CM
D000328:Adult; D000776:Anesthesiology; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D011187:Posture; D011597:Psychomotor Performance