Human Factors Approach to Assess Physician Workload in Elective Plastic Surgery Breast Procedures

Area of Science:

• Human factors research
• Surgical outcomes
• Physician workload

Background:

• Human factors research examines work system interactions, physician workload, cognitive effort, and performance.
• This pilot study applied a human factors approach to assess cognitive workload in plastic surgeons performing elective breast procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess cognitive workload among plastic surgeons during elective breast procedures using a human factors approach.
• To identify factors influencing physician workload in plastic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 57 plastic surgery breast procedures over 3 months.
• Collected surgeon and patient demographics and procedural details.
• Utilized the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire to assess surgeon workload, including mental, physical, and temporal demands, performance, effort, and frustration.

Main Results:

• Surgical duration positively correlated with increased mental demand, physical demand, and distractions (P < .001).
• Free flap reconstruction, breast reduction, and transgender mastectomy procedures reported the highest workload.
• Bilateral procedures had significantly higher workload than unilateral ones (P = .002), and distractions strongly correlated with increased mental, physical, and temporal demands.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary data indicate multiple factors influence perceived physician workload during breast procedures.
• Findings offer insights for targeted quality improvement initiatives to enhance procedural safety and efficiency.