Ergonomics in Laparoscopic Surgery: The Case Study in Hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Technological progress and application of the modern surgical techniques have led to more interest in laparoscopy by surgeons and patients. As a result, surgeons might potentially have more complications due to this procedures. Knowledge and practice of ergonomics principles can greatly reduce these problems. With this background in mind, this study evaluated the ergonomic issues in laparoscopic surgeons. This cross-sectional study was performed on 50 laparoscopic surgeons employed at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran through the census method. The data were collected using the researcher-made survey questionnaire regarding ergonomics in laparoscopic surgery. All the data were analyzed by descriptive statistics utilizing the SPSS software version 21. The findings of this study showed that most of the surgeons were not satisfied with the hand-held instrument (72%) and foot pedal (38%). Moreover, 48% and 38% of the surgeons expressed that neck and shoulder discomfort may arise due to inappropriate position of the monitor and unadjusted height of the operating table, respectively. However, only 24% of the subjects were aware of ergonomics guidelines concerning laparoscopic surgery. According to our results, the surgeons stated that it is necessary to understand the ergonomics problems of the work environments with the aim of finding effective interventions. Therefore, taking into account the interactions between the surgeon and the operating room, in addition to improving the knowledge about ergonomics principles can play an important role in reducing the occupational injury in the surgeons.