[Ergonomic Load on the Surgical Team during Open, Laparoscopic and Robot-assisted Surgical Procedures]

The aim of this work is to investigate the ergonomic load on the surgical team during open, laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical procedures.Employees of the Salzburg State Hospitals (SALK) were invited to take part in a standardised online survey in December 2023. The extent and differences in psychophysical stress for the individual professional groups and specialists were examined for different surgical procedures.64/111 (57.7%) of all invited employees took part in the study, of whom 30 (46.9%) were male and 34 (53.1%) female. For the majority, working in the operating theatre (OT) was physically stressful, and more than 60.9% of those surveyed had to seek medical help or take painkillers. The most commonly affected areas of the body are the back and neck, and 17.2% of respondents believe they were likely to have to retire early. Despite the physical strain, the majority enjoyed working in the OT. For 61.9%, robotic surgery was perceived as being the least physically demanding. Significant differences in psychophysical stress and preferences for the different types of operations were evident in gender, age groups, professional groups, specialist areas, years of work in the operating theatre and biometric data.The results could be used to initiate targeted measures to promote health and employee satisfaction and to carry out appropriate training.