Tag: Medicine

Why Surgeons Suffer Injuries from Minimally Invasive Technique

Cynthia A. Lockley on

A research study by Adrian E. Park, M.D., chief of general surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and professor of surgery and vice chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, found that 87 percent of laparoscopic surgeons have experienced physical symptoms or discomfort as a result of managing the unique surgical constraints associated with laparoscopic surgery.

A post on the UMMC blog in 2010 included a video where Dr. Park explains the challenges of performing minimally invasive surgery and how these challenges limit the surgeon's movements and impact his or her body both during and after the procedure in the video. The video also showed the Medical Center's usability lab.

[Update 20 Feb 2020: Unfortunately, the video (bit.ly/bXvFVh) is no longer available.]

Related Reports

"The ergonomics of women in surgery"

Authors: Erica Sutton, Myra Irvin, Craig Zeigler, Gyusung Lee, Adrian Park
Surgical Endoscopy volume 28, pages1051–1055(2014)
Date: Nov 14, 2013 (.pdf from ResearchGate.net)

Among surgeons who regularly perform minimally invasive surgery, as many as 87% report injuries or symptoms related to job performance. Operating room and instrument design have traditionally favored surgeons who are taller and who possess hands that are, in general, large and strong.

Women surgeons are experiencing more discomfort and treatment in their hands than male surgeons. Redesign of laparoscopic instrument handles and improvements to table height comprise the most promising solutions to these ergonomic challenges.

"Patients Benefit While Surgeons Suffer: An Impending Epidemic"

Presented at the American College of Surgeons 94th Annual Clinical Congress, San Francisco, CA, October 2008.
Authors: Adrian Park M.D.,FACS, Gyusung Lee Ph.D., Jacob Seagull Ph.D., Nora Meenaghan M.D., David Dexter M.D.
Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

"Surgeon symptoms, strain, and selections: Systematic review and meta-analysis of surgical ergonomics"

Authors: Chee-Chee H. Stuckya, Kate D. Cromwella, Rachel K. Vossa, Yi-Ju Chianga, Karin Woodmanb, Jeffrey E. Leea, Janice N. Cormier
Published by Elsevier, Ltd. on behalf of IJS Publishing Group, Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/) (.pdf)

Improved Service to Older Patients in ER

Cynthia A. Lockley on

The Washington Post reported that a local hospital in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (Holy Cross in Silver Spring, Maryland) has initiated a new service for older patients to make their visit to the emergency room (ER) a better experience.

Holy Cross chief executive Kevin Sexton said the idea for an emergency room for older people came to him after he got a call from his mother from an ER in New Jersey. 'It was clear she was really stressed out,' he said. 'It was the combination of her being there quite some time and it being very crowded and chaotic. It came to me we really do treat seniors poorly in that setting.'

The aging of Montgomery County contributed to the decision to open the center: 70 percent of anticipated population growth over the next decade will be people older than 65, according to Sexton. 'An enormous demand for services is going to befall hospitals,' he said. 'Figuring out how to do it better without bankrupting us all is going to be one of the challenges.'

The senior emergency center is a first step in the hospital's long-term plan to become known for serving older people. It's an unusual concept: An expert at the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine could think of only one similar facility, located at Nassau University Medical Center in New York.

"Serenity In Emergencies: A Silver Spring ER Aims to Serve Older Patients" By Beth Baker, Special to The Washington Post, Tuesday, January 27, 2009; Page HE01

Read the full article for more information about this program. Hopefully more hospitals across the country will follow their lead.