Increasing Use Of Computers Research Articles

Children computer mouse use and anthropometry

Studies have shown that increased computer use among adults in occupational settings is associated with the development of cumulative trauma disorders; however, the need to address how adult-sized mice and keyboards are affecting children is becoming increasingly important as both access to and use of computers is increasing among today's youth. To address the potential mismatch that exists between child stature and computer input device size and activation force, we have applied existing, age-specific, anthropometric data to elements of device design, including mouse size (length, width, height, switch location), and mouse-button activation forces. Trends supported the development of smaller computer input devices with lower activation forces for smaller statured individuals including children. Distinct and consistent trends in size delineations were seen across gender and age groups-trends that correlate well with grades and schooling in the United States education system . Three to four mouse sizes would be recommended: a mouse sized for adult and high school males; one for adult and high school females and junior high males; one for elementary school children, aged 6 to 10 years; and possibly a mouse for the smallest users who are less than six years old.

The Works Metallurgist: an evaluation of a CAL package on phase diagrams

A number of factors have converged today to force the development of more efficient and costeffective educational strategies. These include rapidly changing technology, the increasing number of students in higher education, and resource restrictions imposed on all sectors of education. Educational systems are therefore finding it increasingly difficult to respond to learners' needs, highlighting the need for alternative educational strategies. An increase in the educational use of computers and new information technologies is often one of the suggested alternatives, baised on the premise that computers can support student learning in an individualized way and at the learner's own pace. In this context, evaluation in general and CAL evaluation in particular can contribute to the process of defining and refining educational strategies.DOI:10.1080/0968776960040109

Neck/shoulder pain, habitual spinal posture and computer use in adolescents: the importance of gender

Neck/shoulder pain is a common complaint, with evidence suggesting rates in adolescence have increased in line with increased computer use. The study aimed to examine the influence of gender on relationships between computer use, habitual posture and neck/shoulder pain. Adolescents (n = 1483) participating in the 14 year follow-up of the Raine Study cohort were surveyed for computer use, habitual sitting posture and neck/shoulder pain. Females used computers less than males (52% vs. 45% used for up to 7 h per week). Females sat much more upright than males with greater anterior pelvic tilt (9.4° vs. 0.4°). Females reported a higher 1 month prevalence of neck/shoulder pain (34.7%) than males (23.1%). A multivariate model showed neck/shoulder pain risk was increased in females (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.70–4.00) and with computer use (OR 1.19, CI 1.01–1.40). Computer use is related to neck/shoulder pain and posture in adolescents but this relationship is different in boys and girls. Statement of Relevance: This study showed the confounding effect of gender on the relationships among computer use, posture and neck/shoulder pain and thus the need to consider genders separately in research and practice aiming to optimise young people's use of computers.

The Introduction of an Electronic Patient Care Information System and Health Care Providers’ Job Stress

In this paper, the authors explore how the introduction of an electronic Patient Care Information System (PCIS) relates to changes in health care providers’ (HCPs’) perceptions of computer use, quality of patient care and job stress. Data were collected using a mixed-methods case study approach over a 20 month period following the introduction of this system. Initially stress levels appeared to increase, but over time declined significantly. After 3 months, the majority of HCPs reported they spent more time entering, retrieving and searching for patient information than before; however, these increases in computer use were unrelated to HCP stress. The potentially negative impact of the system on the quality of patient care was highly correlated with increased job stress. After 20 months, HCPs reported spending less time searching, entering and retrieving patient information, but these indicators of computer use were now highly correlated with stress. While some negative perceptions of the impact of the PCIS declined over time, HCPs reported ongoing stress related to concerns about quality of patient care even after 20 months of use.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with spinal pain in adolescent computer users: a systematic review

Prevalence and risk factors associated with spinal pain in adolescent computer users: a systematic review

Sleep and waking in US adolescents

Time diary analysis was performed using cohort data from 1981 and the period 2003-2006 by Knutson and Lauderdale from the University of Chicago. The results show that bed times and wake times were similar in 1981 and 2003-2006. Average time in bed on school days was about 8 hours and 9-10 on non-school days. The greatest predictor of wake time was school start time. Many adolescents spent less than the recommended 9 hours per day in bed on school days. Increased computer use and earlier start school days may contribute to the wide spread lack of adequate sleep among US adolescents.

Sociodemographic and Behavioral Predictors of Bed Time and Wake Time among US Adolescents Aged 15 to 17 Years

To examine bed times and wake times in US adolescents aged 15 to 17 years using time diaries to determine whether adolescent sleep has changed in recent years and what factors determine bed times and wake times. Time diary analysis using 2 national probability samples: 1981 Time Use Longitudinal Panel Study (n = 130) and 2003-2006 American Time Use Survey (n = 2978). Average time in bed on school days was about 8 hours and was 1 to 2 hours longer on non-school days. Bed times and wake times were similar in 1981 and 2003-2006. Sociodemographic factors and daytime activities, specifically computer use and social activities, predicted bed time. On school days, school start time was the strongest predictor of wake time. Every hour earlier that school started, wake time was about 25 minutes earlier. Adolescents spent less than the recommended 9 hours in bed on school days. There is no evidence that this is a recent change in bed times and wake times, however. Although many factors influence bed time, school start time is the strongest determinant of wake time on school days. Increased computer use and earlier school days may be contributing to insufficient sleep in adolescents.

Visual hemispatial neglect, re-assessed

Increased computer use in clinical settings offers an opportunity to develop new neuropsychological tests that exploit the control computers have over stimulus dimensions and timing. However, before adopting new tools, empirical validation is necessary. In the current study, our aims were twofold: to describe a computerized adaptive procedure with broad potential for neuropsychological investigations, and to demonstrate its implementation in testing for visual hemispatial neglect. Visual search results from adaptive psychophysical procedures are reported from 12 healthy individuals and 23 individuals with unilateral brain injury. Healthy individuals reveal spatially symmetric performance on adaptive search measures. In patients, psychophysical outcomes (as well as those from standard paper-and-pencil search tasks) reveal visual hemispatial neglect. Consistent with previous empirical studies of hemispatial neglect, lateralized impairments in adaptive conjunction search are greater than in adaptive feature search tasks. Furthermore, those with right hemisphere damage show greater lateralized deficits in conjunction search than do those with left hemisphere damage. We argue that adaptive tests, which automatically adjust to each individual's performance level, are efficient methods for both clinical evaluations and neuropsychological investigations and have the potential to detect subtle deficits even in chronic stages, when flagrant clinical signs have frequently resolved.

Computer use and habitual spinal posture in Australian adolescents.

Computer use is common in adolescents, and there is evidence that adolescent spinal posture alters during computer use. However, it is unknown if computer use and habitual postures are associated. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between adolescent computer use and habitual postures. Eight hundred eighty-four adolescents (408 females, 476 males, mean age, 14.0 years, standard deviation, 0.2) completed a questionnaire assessing weekly computer use. Habitual spinal posture was assessed by photographic analysis while standing and sitting. Computer use was associated with adolescent habitual postures. In males, increased computer use was associated with increased head flexion and neck flexion. In females, increased computer use was associated with increased lumbar lordosis. The amount of weekly computer use was associated with changes in habitual spinal postures, and these depended on gender. These associations may result from temporary computer postures leading to adaptive neuromusculoskeletal changes, though further multivariate and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm causality. As some habitual posture changes may place a greater strain on the musculoskeletal system, computer use by adolescents should be viewed as a possible health concern.

Improving health education through information technology: a commentary on Bond (2007)

Advanced information technology and computerisation increasingly and globally used in hospital and community health care systems has stimulated interest in developing computerised systems that include not only networked services to support medical treatment and patient records, but also health education and promotion for people in the community. Health care recipients are increasingly involved in participating in decisions affecting their own health (Noell and Glasgow, 1999), and nurses and other care providers are increasingly required to educate, motivate and assist their clients to adhere to healthy behaviour and treatment regimens in the community and ambulatory settings. However, the accessibility, continuity and long duration of most existing education programmes often limit clients’ desire and persistence to participate and so reduces the likelihood of subsequent behaviour change. Participation and interest in health education programmes may be enhanced by application of information technology and this is enhanced by application of clients’ increased computer accessibility and knowledge. Increased computer use by the public has enhanced online interactions between health educator (or the programmes) and clients in need of support, and has reduced the

The diffusion of computers and the distribution of wages

When the costs are decreasing workers adopt technology at the point where the costs equal the increased productivity. Output per worker increases immediately, while productivity benefits increase only gradually if costs continue to fall. As a result, workers in computer-adopting labor market groups experience an immediate fall in wages due to increased supply. On the other hand, adopting workers experience wage increases with some delay. This model explains why increased computer use does not immediately lead to higher wage inequality. More specifically, the results of the model are shown to be consistent with the question why within-group wage inequality among skilled workers as a result of computer technology adoption in the United States increased in the 1970s, while between-group wage inequality and within-group wage inequality among the unskilled did not start to increase until the 1980s. The model also predicts that the more compressed German wage structure leads to a lagged diffusion of computer technology along with smaller changes in wage inequality. Our empirical analysis suggests that this is consistent with the actual developments in Germany since the 1980s. Finally, the theoretical predictions seem to be of the right magnitude to explain the empirical quantities observed in the data.

VDT작업에서의 근골격계 질환 예방을 위한 새로운 팔 지지대 제안

In spite of the rapid increase of computer use in our everyday life, not much effort is undertaken to take measures to prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders(MSDs). In this paper, we suggest a movable armrest which would lower the exposure to the MSDs, especially on the vicinity of arm. The aim of this study is to determine whether there are differences in wrist angle variations, forearm muscular loads, comfort and normal performance between the invented movable armrest and a conventional armrest when using a computer mouse. Eight experienced VDU workers performed a standardized simple task set which consists of 15 detailed tasks with each armrest. The wrist angle variations in the right arm were registered by electrogoniometer and the muscle activities in the shoulder, deltoid and two extensors in the forearm were also registered by electromyograph. The subjects rated perceived comfort while performing the tasks with each armrest. Working with the invented armrest, compared to general, gave significantly decreased wrist angle variations at most of the detailed tasks of both biaxial movements. Moreover, as the distance of targets increased, the difference of muscle activities in two different situations trend to be increasing. At the same time, in work with invented armrest, the subjects rated more comfort and they showed decreased normal performances in 8 detailed tasks which were mainly caused by macro moving time.

Extent of occupational hand use among persons with rheumatoid arthritis

Occupational hand use is increasing due to increased computer use and could place persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at risk for work disability. Although hand involvement in RA is typical, there is little information about occupational hand use in relation to RA. Study objectives were to describe the extent of occupational hand use by persons with RA; the types of jobs that require extensive hand use; the relationship between occupational hand use and joint pain; and the extent of occupational hand use among persons with shorter versus longer disease duration. Cross-sectional survey data from 2,761 employed participants with RA from a US national cohort were used. Extent of occupational hand use was measured by the hand-use item from a job physical demand scale used in prior RA studies. Analyses included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The mean age was 50.6 years, 78.5% were women, 91.8% were white, and 68.8% had more than a high school education. Eighty-three percent of participants reported extensive occupational hand use. Large portions of participants in all types of jobs reported extensive hand use, 92% with administrative support jobs and 69% with operator/laborer jobs. Participants with extensive occupational hand use were more likely to have hand joint pain than those with moderate hand use (66% versus 58%; P = 0.004). Extensive hand use did not vary by disease duration (83% and 84% in participants with < or =15 and >15 years' duration, respectively). Extensive occupational hand use was ubiquitous among employed persons with RA and was associated with greater hand pain.

Effects of implementing a modified electronic medical record and comprehensive patient tracking system on the patient care activities of emergency department staff

Study objectives: Many hospital emergency departments (EDs) are converting from paper to comprehensive computerized medical record systems. The impact of this change on ED patient care activities has not been well described. Our own hospital ED converted from a largely paper system to a comprehensive patient tracking and modified electronic medical record system (MEMR) in December 2002. Our research goal is to determine how the increase in computer activities will change physician and nursing patient care activities. Specifically, we examined whether increases in computer use would result in decreases in direct patient care. Our secondary research goal is to measure whether the increased computer time will result in decreased communications between attending and resident physicians that include clinical teaching and supervisory activities. Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted at an urban public teaching hospital ED with more than 120,000 annual patient visits. Activity analysis using the work-sample method was used to measure work activities of resident and attending physicians and nurses before and after the institution of a new MEMR and electronic patient tracking system. The activities were categorized as direct patient care (bedside), indirect patient care (paperwork, computer use, telephone or face-to-face communications, administration), or idle time (eg, nonclinical discussions, lunch breaks). Data were collected in real time on standardized forms by a trained team of observers. All days of the week and shifts in a day were sampled. Physician and nursing activities were observed and recorded as a snapshot once every minute during 2-hour time blocks. The resulting observation counts for each provider type in each activity category are totaled and reported as a proportion of the total number of observations. The result is the proportion of total time spent performing each activity type for the entire staff. The z test was used to test for statistical differences between the pre- and post-MEMR change periods, with an α of 0.05. Results: There were 9,400 individual staff observations; 4,503 were pre-MEMR change and 4,897 were postchange. Attending and resident physicians were observed 4,176 and nurses 5,144 times in total. There was no statistical difference in the proportion of time physicians devoted to direct patient care after MEMR change. The attending physicians spent 25.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22% to 29%) of their time before and 26% (95% CI 22% to 30%) after MEMR change. Residents spent 31.9% (95% CI 30% to 34%) of their time before and 30.1% (95% CI 30% to 34%) after. For nurses, there was a modest increase in direct patient care time from 25.7% (95% CI 23% to 27%) to 32.3% (95% CI 30% to 34%; P P =not significant). Conclusion: The research team expected that increased time spent entering and retrieving clinical data using a computer system might compromise the amount of effort spent in direct patient care or resident education and supervision. It was conceivable that the new system might even necessitate the addition of new staff. This was not the case. In addition, the MEMR and electronic patient tracking system provided more comprehensive, easily retrievable, and legible clinical and administrative data for use in real-time and continuous quality improvement activities.

Computational physics for undergraduates: The CPUG degree program at Oregon State University

We presently are experiencing historically rapid advances in science, technology, and education driven by a dramatic increase in computer use and power. In the past, educators were content to have undergraduates view scientific computation as black boxes (an abstraction of a device in which only its externally visible behavior is considered, not its implementation) and have them wait for graduate school to learn what's inside. Our increasing reliance on computers makes this less true today, and much less likely to be true in the future. To adjust to the growing importance of computing in all of science, Oregon State University's Physics Department now offers a four-year, research-rich curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in computational physics. The five computational courses developed for this program act as a bridge connecting physics with the computation, mathematics, and computational science communities.

The Diffusion of Computers and the Distribution of Wages

When workers adopt technology at the point where the costs equal the increased productivity, output per worker increases immediately, while the productivity benefits increase only gradually if the costs continue to fall. As a result, workers in computer-adopting labor market groups experience an immediate fall in wages due to increased supply. On the other hand, adopting workers experience wage increases with some delay. This model explains why increased computer use does not immediately lead to higher wage inequality. More specifically, the results of the model are shown to be consistent with the question why withingroup wage inequality among skilled workers as a result of computer technology adoption in the United States increased in the 1970s, while between-group wage inequality and withingroup wage inequality among the unskilled did not start to increase until the 1980s. The model also suggests that the slow diffusion of computer technology in Germany along with the absence of major changes in the wage structure in the 1980s is consistent with the more compressed German wage structure. Finally, the theoretical predictions seem to be of the right magnitude to explain the empirical quantities observed in the data.

Are computer skills the new basic skills? The returns to computer, writing and math skills in Britain

The large increase in computer use has raised the question whether people have to be taught computer skills before entering the labour market. Using data from the 1997 Skills Survey of the Employed British Workforce, we argue that neither the increase in computer use nor the fact that particularly higher skilled workers use a computer provides evidence that computer skills are valuable. We compare computer skills with writing and math skills and test whether wages vary with computer skills, given the specific use that is made of computers. The regression results show that while the ability to write documents and to carry out mathematical analyses yields significant labour-market returns, the ability to effectively use a computer has no substantial impact on wages. These estimates suggest that writing and math can be regarded as basic skills, but that the higher wages of computer users are unrelated to computer skills.

Are Computer Skills the New Basic Skills? The Returns to Computer, Writing and Math Skills in Britain

The large increase in computer use has raised the question whether people have to be taught computer skills before entering the labour market. Using data from the 1997 Skills Survey of the Employed British Workforce, we argue that neither the increase in computer use nor the fact that particularly higher skilled workers use a computer provides evidence that computer skills are valuable. We compare computer skills with writing and math skills and test whether wages vary with computer skills, given the specific use that is made of computers. The regression results show that while the ability to write documents and to carry out mathematical analyses yields significant labour-market returns, the ability to effectively use a computer has no substantial impact on wages. These estimates suggest that writing and math can be regarded as basic skills, but that the higher wages of computer users are unrelated to computer skills.

Estimating the Long-Run User Cost Elasticity

The user cost elasticity is a parameter of central importance in economics, with implications for monetary policy, macroeconomic models, tax policy, growth and many other areas. If the supply curve for capital is upward sloping and shocks to demand area important (as they are likely to be over the business cycle), estimates of the user cost elasticity that rely on high-frequency movements in the variables will tend to be biased. This paper applies cointegration techniques to a small, open economy. The combination of exogeneity of user cost implied by the flat supply of capital curve for a small, open economy and appropriate correction for small sample bias yields an estimate of the long-run user cost elasticity which is about 75% larger (in absolute value) than the best existing estimate. In addition, the paper makes three further contributions: accounting for increases in depreciation (due to dramatic increases in computer use), estimating the long-run user cost elasticity for structures and the total capital stock, and disentangling the effects of capital goods prices, the real interest rate, and taxes.

The use of computers among the workers in the European Union and its impact on the quality of work

For many people it is impossible to imagine working life today without a computer. What the increase of the use of computers means for the quality of the work, is still under discussion. The object of this study is to show the recent developments (1992 - 2000) in the use of computers among the working population in the European Union and its impact on the quality of working life. The data used for these analyses were collected on a five-year basis by means of a questionnaire. Results show that the use of computers has increased between 1992 and 2000. The increase in computer use is almost completely the result of developments within white-collar occupations. In general, the use of a computer results in more qualified work and less physical strain. However, those who work with a computer permanently, clearly show more signs of physical and mental strain than those who use the computer only part of the time. This could mean that adding other tasks than computer tasks could improve the working conditions of those using the computer permanently. These results suggest that the increase of the use of computers will further improve the quality of work except when one neglects the dangers connected with a permanent use of computers.