Ergonomics in chronic disease

Abstract

The Ergonomics as a discipline tries to carry out a series of principles that allow to develop the activities of daily life, in the least burdensome way for people with chronic affections. Being able to participate in their life in a more normalized way leads users to enjoy an improvement in their quality of life. We start from the idea of a model in which it is proposed that the conservation of one's energy is useful for people suffering from a chronic disease or for anyone who wants to perform more with less effort. A pilot study has been carried out, implementing a physical exercise program in a public residence, performing an initial and final functional assessment. The most frequent pathologies, susceptible to intervention from this model are: rizarthrosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue. The model proposes a series of principles such as: taking frequent breaks; prioritize activities; advance planning; establish a slower and more constant rhythm for heavy activities; use the space efficiently; adopt correct postures; use an adapted equipment and do moderate continuous exercise. The results indicate improvements in general, and significant in the physical activity questionnaire; The principles applied are very useful for people without pathology, and very appropriate for people over 65 years.