A CORRELATIONAL STUDY OF ERGONOMIC KNOWLEDGE AND LEVEL OF MSK DISCOMFORT DURING ONLINE CLASSES OF 1ST-4TH YEAR UST-CRS PHYSICAL THERAPY STUDENTS

Abstract

Introduction: The pandemic's shift to remote learning in 2020 resulted in increased musculoskeletal (MSK) discomfort among physical therapy students, despite their familiarity with ergonomics, a knowledge-practice gap exists, with a significant proportion reporting MSK discomfort during online classes. This study, focusing on the University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences (UST-CRS) Physical Therapy students, aims to determine the correlation between ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort. Introduction: The pandemic's shift to remote learning in 2020 resulted in increased musculoskeletal (MSK) discomfort among physical therapy students, despite their familiarity with ergonomics, a knowledge-practice gap exists, with a significant proportion reporting MSK discomfort during online classes. This study, focusing on the University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences (UST-CRS) Physical Therapy students, aims to determine the correlation between ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort. Introduction: The pandemic's shift to remote learning in 2020 resulted in increased musculoskeletal (MSK) discomfort among physical therapy students, despite their familiarity with ergonomics, a knowledge-practice gap exists, with a significant proportion reporting MSK discomfort during online classes. This study, focusing on the University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences (UST-CRS) Physical Therapy students, aims to determine the correlation between ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort. Discussion: The study uncovered an association between higher ergonomic knowledge and increased reports of MSK discomfort. Notably, this observed association does not imply causation but signifies a partial link. Furthermore, integrating ergonomic knowledge into the ITE model offers a comprehensive understanding of its association with MSK discomfort. This holistic approach informs strategies for mitigating and preventing discomfort in diverse settings. Overall, there is a direct weak correlation between level of ergonomic knowledge & level of MSK discomfort signifying that there may be various other factors likely influencing the level of MSK discomfort observed in the students therefore, further research is needed to explore underlying factors contributing to this correlation.