ArticleAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2023
Work-related musculoskeletal pain and discomfort in laparoscopic surgeons: an international multispecialty survey.
Article in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevalence Among European Surgeons: Effect of Demographic, Economic, and Quality-of-Life Indicators.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Pooled it
- Robotic assisted surgery reduces ergonomic risk during minimally invasive colorectal resection: the VOLCANO randomised controlled trial.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2024Trial
- Ergonomics in Knee Arthroscopy: A Scoping Review.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2026Review
- Surgical team ergonomics during robotic versus conventional laparoscopic surgery: a prospective observational study.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Observational
- Robot-assistedWorld journal of transplantation · 2026Article
- Ergonomic evaluation of the Senhance® robotic system in minimally invasive gynecologic procedures versus conventional laparoscopy: an exploratory study focusing on surgeon's muscle activity.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2026Article
- Article
- Sex-based differences in musculoskeletal pain among surgeons: an international survey.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Article
- Optimising ergonomics in minimally invasive gynaecological surgery: a comprehensive review and practice recommendations.Facts, views & vision in ObGyn · 2025Article
- Head-down tilt lithotomy position and well-leg compartment syndrome: An international survey of current practice.Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2025Article
- A review of ergonomic positions to improve musculoskeletal distress in hepatobiliary pancreatic surgeons according to open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgeries.Annals of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAs laparoscopic surgery is used more widely across the globe and within multiple surgical specialties the potential impact on surgeons is yet to be fully quantified. Maintenance of uncomfortable body positions may lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) in surgeons, with potential knock-on effects.
methodsAn international open online survey of multispecialty laparoscopic surgeons was carried out, designed and reported in accordance with the CHERRIES checklist for internet e-survey research. There was no paid advertising and no incentives offered.
resultsA total of 259 surgeons from 9 specialties and 32 countries answered the survey, with 90% reporting pain attributable to performing laparoscopic surgery. All training grades were represented. Longer average operative duration and a greater number of years in practice were both associated with a significantly higher prevalence of pain. Surgeons with a pre-existing injury were significantly more likely to report pain than those without. Twenty per cent of surgeons would consider early retirement owing to pain.
conclusionsThe impact on surgeons of performing laparoscopic surgery is significant, even given the limitations of an open survey. Innovations such as robotic surgery and improved ergonomic education may reduce the incidence of WMSD in surgeons, to mitigate both the personal effects on surgeons and the wider effect on the future surgical workforce.
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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.