Evaluating the Ergonomics of Surgical Residents During Laparoscopic Simulation: A Novel Computerized Approach.
Citation: American Surgeon. 89(5):1622-1628, 2023 May.PMID: 35045763Institution: MedStar Heart & Vascular InstituteDepartment: BaltimoreForm of publication: Journal ArticleMedline article type(s): Journal ArticleSubject headings: *Internship and Residency | *Laparoscopy | Ergonomics/mt [Methods] | Humans | Upper Extremity | Year: 2023Local holdings: Available online through MWHC library: 2005 - present, Available in print through MWHC library:1999-2007ISSN:- 0003-1348
Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Journal Article | MedStar Authors Catalog | Article | 35045763 | Available | 35045763 |
Available online through MWHC library: 2005 - present, Available in print through MWHC library:1999-2007
BACKGROUND: Assessment of residents' body positioning during laparoscopy has not been adequately investigated. This study presents a novel computer vision technique to automate ergonomic evaluation and demonstrates this approach through simulated laparoscopy.
CONCLUSIONS: Surgery residents demonstrated suboptimal ergonomics while performing simulated laparoscopic tasks. A novel computer program to measure ergonomics did not agree with the scores generated by the human raters, although it concluded that resident ergonomics remain a concern, especially regarding shoulder and wrist positioning.
METHODS: Surgical residents at a single academic institution were video recorded performing tasks from the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS). Ergonomics were assessed by 2 raters using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool. Additionally, a novel computer software program was used to measure ergonomics from the video recordings. All participants completed a survey on musculoskeletal complaints, which was graded by severity.
RESULTS: Ten residents participated; all performed FLS in postures that exceeded acceptable ergonomic risks as determined by both the human and computerized RULA scores (P < .001). Lower-level residents scored worse than upper-level residents on the human-graded RULA assessment (P = .04). There was no difference in computer-graded RULA scores by resident level (P = .39) and computer-graded scores did not correlate with human scores (P = .75). Shoulder and wrist position were the greatest contributors to higher computer-graded scores (P < .001). Self-reported musculoskeletal complaints did not differ at resident level (P = .74); however, all residents reported having at least 1 form of musculoskeletal complaint occurring "often."
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