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Shokrolahi I, Baghaei-Naeini S A, Habibi E. Assessing the Efficiency of Ergonomically-Designed Laptop Desk in Improving the Ergonomic Posture of Users Using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment Method. J Health Syst Res 2020; 16 (3) :151-157
URL: http://hsr.mui.ac.ir/article-1-1168-en.html

Background: In recent years, along with all-round advancements, the need for computer use has been dramatically increased. The computer industry has cut down the size of personal computers (laptops) for ease of use. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficiency of ergonomically-designed laptop desk in different positions using rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical, and interventional study. In this study, 17 male students and 17 female students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan Iran, with the age range of 20-30 years old were studied. Their posture was assessed in three positions: sitting cross-legged, sitting on the chair, and lying down in two situations, without using a laptop desk and with using a laptop desk through RULA method.
Findings: A significan difference was observed in the changes of the RULA score without using the ergonomic laptop desk and with using the desk in all three positions of use of the laptop desk (P < 0.001), which revealed that use of the ergonomic laptop desk was effective in improving the sitting position of the user when using a laptop. The mean RULA variations in sitting cross-legged, sitting on the chair, and lying down were -1.85, -1.64, and -1.79, respectively. There was a significant relationship between height and gender parameters with RULA variations.
Conclusion: The ergonomically-designed laptop desk due to having the facility to adjust the height, the width, and the slope of the keyboard in 6 modes has the highest adaptability to the body's anthropometric dimensions in different modes of using laptop for users. The results of this study confirm the effectiveness of the ergonomic laptop desk in improving the position of users when using the laptop.