Accident Victim Interview Report Accident Victim Interview - Essay Example

Client’s xx October Accident/Illness Victim Interview It was a pleasure to conduct an interview with Paul, not his real name, who is currently suffering from musculoskeletal kind of disorder called “carpal tunnel syndrome.” Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), per definition, “is numbness, tingling pain, and weakness in the thumb, index and middle fingers as a result of irritation of the median nerve being irritated at the wrist” (Shiel). At the onset of his condition, Paul thought that it was just a minor numbness that he felt in his hands.

As months passed, Paul felt pain and weakness in his fingers and hands. It did not occur to him that he was already starting to develop CTS. Paul works as a writer in a publishing company. His work requires him to stay in his post most of the time to do research and compositions on various topics. His computer is his best friend at work. When asked what his ordinary day at his office like, he told me that he immediately faces his computer as soon as he arrives at his office. He undertakes research and does a lot of typing during the day.

In fact, he only gets to leave his post during lunch break. Due to his work habits, his doctor suspects that he acquired CTS from his extended periods of repetitive typing and extreme positions of his wrist. Paul further told me that two weeks back the pain he had in his hands was simply unbearable. The numbness that he first felt became worse that made his hands extremely weak, thus unable to do his tasks properly. He could no longer feel his hands and frequently dropped objects. Until he came to the condition of not feeling anything and not properly sleeping at night due to the pain he felt in his hands.

He immediately went to the doctor and found out about his acquired CTS. His condition caused him to temporarily not report for work. He was advised to take a week vacation to rest his wrist and allow it to recover from repetitive typing. Since Paul’s CTS was diagnosed early, for his treatment he was advised to do home care for his CTS. He was told to wear a wrist splint for 4-6 weeks to keep his wrist in a neutral posture at rest. Paul wore and still wears his splint both day and night to ensure fast recovery.

Meanwhile, to help Paul with the pain he took an anti-inflammatory medicine for a week. According to him, his one-week medication and current wrist splint seem to be effective in curing his CTS. Paul is now back at work however there are changes made on how he performs his tasks. He no longer spends hours typing in front of his computer. He makes sure that he allows his hands to rest and do nerve gliding exercises after every hour of typing. He manages to stand up and stretches his hands in between his researches and writings.

Since he is required to wear his splint for at least 4 hours in the morning, his workload has been reduced. The company that Paul works for also recognizes his current condition. It acknowledges the risks that its employees may suffer from due to long hours of doing repetitive tasks. Hence, Paul’s company, according to him, is currently planning to adopt a more ergonomic work environment. His company understands the importance of using the computer in completing tasks and reports. At the same time, it also recognizes the high importance of its people.

To prevent other employees from acquiring CTS, his company has recently communicated its intention of buying new computers, specifically keyboards, with a more optimized ergonomic layout. Work Cited Shiel, William C. Jr. “Carpal Tunnel” It Wasn’t. 25 May 2007. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.