Postural ergonomics and work-related musculoskeletal disorders in neurosurgery: lessons from an international survey

Georgios Mavrovounis · Torstein Ragnar Meling · Jesús Lafuente · Kostas N. Fountas · Andreas Kyriacou Demetriades

49 citations0/0 files storedActa Neurochirurgica

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Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces Occupational health in dentistry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) affect a significant percentage of the neurosurgical workforce. The aim of the current questionnaire-based study was to examine the prevalence of WMSDs amongst neurosurgeons, identify risk factors, and study the views of neurosurgeons regarding ergonomics. METHODS: From June to August 2020, members of the "European Association of Neurosurgical Societies," the "Neurosurgery Research Listserv," and the "Latin American Federation of Neurosurgical Societies" were asked to complete an electronic questionnaire on the topics of WMSDs and ergonomics. RESULTS: A total of 409 neurosurgeons responded to the survey, with a 4.7 male to female ratio. Most of the surgeons worked in Europe (76.9%) in academic public hospitals. The vast majority of the participants (87.9%) had experienced WMSDs, mainly affecting the shoulder, neck, and back muscles. The most common operations performed by the participants were "Craniotomy for convexity/intrinsic tumors" (24.1%) and "Open lumbar basic spine" (24.1%). Neurosurgeons agreed that ergonomics is an underexposed area in the neurosurgical field (84.8%) and that more resources should be spend (87.3%) and training curricula changes should be made (78.3%) in order to alleviate the burden of WMSDs on neurosurgeons. Univariate analysis did not reveal any associations between the development of WMSDs and age, gender, tenure, average duration of operation, operating time per week, type of operation, and surgical approach. CONCLUSIONS: The problem of WMSDs ought to be more closely addressed and managed by the neurosurgical community. More studies ought to be designed to investigate specific ergonomic parameters in order to formulate practice recommendations.

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2017Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists 2009Patients Benefit While Surgeons Suffer: An Impending Epidemic 2016Surgeons’ physical discomfort and symptoms during robotic surgery: a comprehensive ergonomic survey study 2011Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Spine Surgeons 2017Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons Performing Minimally Invasive Surgery 2016Ergonomics in the operating room 2020Measuring Ergonomic Risk in Operating Surgeons by Using Wearable Technology 2016Do No Harm, Except to Ourselves? A Survey of Symptoms and Injuries in Oncologic Surgeons and Pilot Study of an Intraoperative Ergonomic Intervention

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