ArticleJournal of robotic surgery2022
The burden of performing minimal access surgery: ergonomics survey results from 462 surgeons across Germany, the UK and the USA.
Article in Journal of robotic surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review on the effectiveness of robot-assisted minimally invasive gastrectomy.Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association · 2024Pooled it
- Does surgeon sex and anthropometry matter for tool usability in traditional laparoscopic surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Surgical endoscopy · 2023Pooled it
- Visual, physical, and mental strain during simulated robotic surgical tasks on Hugo™ RAS and impact of microbreaks on them: a randomized controlled trial.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Trial
- Article
- Practice of ergonomics in laparoscopic gynecological surgeries and its effects on surgeons in a low-middle income country.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Adoption of ergonomic practices among robotic surgeons: a survey from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Ergonomics Task Force.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Article
- Autonomous countertraction for secure field of view in laparoscopic surgery using deep reinforcement learning.International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery · 2025Article
- Comparative analysis of disruptive events in robotic and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.Journal of robotic surgery · 2025Article
- Evaluation of an assistive exosuit for alleviating neck and shoulder muscle fatigue during prolonged flexed neck posture.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Validity evidence of a new virtual reality simulator for phacoemulsification training in cataract surgery.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Handle shape influences system usability in telemanipulation.Frontiers in robotics and AI · 2024Article
- Safe implementation of surgical innovation: a prospective registry of the Versius Robotic Surgical System.BMJ surgery, interventions, & health technologies · 2023Article
- Early evaluation of a next-generation surgical system in robot-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy: A prospective clinical cohort study.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2022Article
- Colorectal surgeon physical pain and conditioning: a national survey.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgieArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This international study aimed to understand, from the perspective of surgeons, their experience of performing minimal access surgery (MAS), to explore causes of discomfort while operating and the impact of poor ergonomics on surgeon welfare and career longevity across different specialties and techniques. A quantitative online survey was conducted in Germany, the UK and the USA from March to April 2019. The survey comprised 17 questions across four categories: demographics, intraoperative discomfort, effects on performance and anticipated consequences. In total, 462 surgeons completed the survey. Overall, 402 (87.0%) surgeons reported experiencing discomfort while operating at least 'sometimes'. The peak professional performance age was perceived to be 45-49 years by 30.7% of surgeons, 50-54 by 26.4% and older than 55 by 10.1%. 86 (18.6%) surgeons felt it likely they would consider early retirement, of whom 83 were experiencing discomfort. Our findings highlight the continued unmet needs of surgeons performing MAS, with the overwhelming majority experiencing discomfort, frequently in the back, neck and shoulders, and many likely to consider early retirement consequently. Innovative solutions are needed to alleviate this physical burden and, in turn, prevent economic and societal impacts on healthcare systems resulting from MAS limiting surgeon longevity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.