Effectiveness of ergonomic interventions in the 21st century: a protocol for an umbrella review of systematic reviews.

چکیده اصلی

INTRODUCTION: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) remain a global challenge despite technological advancements and evolving workplace practices. Ergonomic interventions-including workplace redesign, equipment modification, training and organisational strategies-have been increasingly adopted to address these challenges. However, systematic reviews assessing their effectiveness have yielded heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory findings. This protocol outlines a methodology for an umbrella review of systematic reviews aimed at synthesising high-quality evidence on ergonomic interventions in diverse occupational settings, thereby informing both practice and policy. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between January 2000 and 2026 in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Eligible reviews will include workers aged 18 years and older exposed to ergonomic risks and will examine physical, educational, organisational or multicomponent interventions. Primary outcomes will be reductions in WMSDs and pain, while secondary outcomes will include productivity, absenteeism, job satisfaction and workplace safety. The methodological quality of included reviews will be assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2. Findings will be synthesised narratively and summarised in structured tables by intervention type, population, outcome and review quality. Overlap among reviews will be evaluated using the corrected covered area, and where multiple reviews address the same question, their conclusions will be compared based on population, intervention characteristics, outcomes, comparators, follow-up and methodological quality. The certainty of evidence will be assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation or a comparable framework, and any inconsistent findings will be explored and reported transparently. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This umbrella review protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (Approval ID: IR.UMSHA.REC.1404.583). Since this study involves the secondary analysis of previously published data and does not involve direct contact with human participants, individual informed consent is not required. The study will be conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation and transparency will be maintained throughout the process. The findings of this umbrella review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal, presentation at relevant international conferences and shared with policymakers to promote evidence-based ergonomic practices. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD420251147970.

متن کامل اصلی