Physiologic readiness and subjective workload of performing operations: A prospective observational study of...

Physical health and perceived workload are determinants of career satisfaction and longevity for surgeons. The aim of this prospective observational study was to determine if biometric indicators of physical recovery among surgeons are associated with perceived workload during operations. The primary outcome was whether there was an association between surgeon self-assessment and a physiologic recovery score based on heart rate variability measured with a wearable biometric sensor. These associations were evaluated through mixed-effects regression models. Of the 66 participants, 29 were attending surgeons and 37 were surgical trainees across multiple surgical subspecialities. There was no association between recovery score and perceived workload for either trainees or attendings. Differences in self-assessment scores were identified between trainees based on gender and years in training, as well as for attendings based on years in practice. Additionally, recovery scores were higher for both junior trainees and attendings compared to their senior counterparts. These findings underscore the importance of awareness of differences in experience among surgeons and may reveal targets for improvement in performance and career satisfaction.