Journal of Ergonomics
Open Access
ISSN: 2165-7556
ISSN: 2165-7556
Sarah Farukhi Ahmed
Chief resident, PGY-4, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute,
Irvine, 850 Health Sciences Road, Irvine, CA
United States
Research Article
Computer Position Effects on Patient-Physician Direct Eye Contact in an Ophthalmology Clinic
Author(s): Sarah Farukhi Ahmed, Hannah Muniz-Castr, Ryan Huy Nguyen, Caleb Shumway and Jeremiah P TaoSarah Farukhi Ahmed, Hannah Muniz-Castr, Ryan Huy Nguyen, Caleb Shumway and Jeremiah P Tao
Purpose: The dynamics of the patient-physician encounter in the outpatient clinical setting has changed with the advent of electronic medical health records. Previous studies suggest that computer use does not diminish patient satisfaction as long as the physician maintains appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication (posture, tone of voice, gesture, and direct eye contact). We performed a case-control study to analyze the role of computer positioning and its effect on direct eye contact.
Method: A prospective, comparative study of 54 patient encounters assessing the effects of computer position setup on the amount of direct eye contact was performed. The setups aligned clinician, computer monitor and keyboard: (1) on axis, (2) off axis, and (3) a hybrid setup where a wireless keyboard was placed on-axis and the monitor was off-axis. The enc.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2165-7556.1000238