Ergonomic practices and interventions in plastic and reconstructive surgery: A systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Surgical Ergonomics
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Ergonomics significantly impacts the surgical workforce, influencing the interface between human-operated equipment and patient anatomy.
• This systematic review evaluates existing literature on ergonomics in plastic surgery to identify knowledge gaps and trends.
• The field has seen a notable increase in publications, particularly in recent years.

Approach:

• A systematic search strategy was developed by a licensed librarian and plastic surgeon.
• Two independent reviewers screened abstracts, evaluated full texts, and extracted data from relevant manuscripts.
• Forty-six studies were included in the final analysis.

Key Points:

• Musculoskeletal pain and disorders are the most frequently discussed topics (23 studies), followed by surgical instrumentation/technology (18 studies).
• Interventions primarily focus on novel instrumentation or technology (73.4%), with fewer addressing peri-surgical practices or operative posture.
• A significant increase in publications over time indicates growing interest in surgical ergonomics.

Conclusions:

• Ergonomics in plastic surgery is a rapidly growing area of research.
• While musculoskeletal pain is well-covered, operative posture and surgical practices remain underrepresented.
• There is a clear opportunity for future research and interventions to address these underrepresented areas for enhanced surgeon well-being.