Development and Evaluation of an Ergonomically Optimized Scope-Holder for Flexible Endoscopy (With Video)

Area of Science:

• Medical Engineering
• Gastroenterology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Endoscopy demand is increasing, leading to higher physical workload and injury risks for endoscopists.
• Current ergonomic solutions for endoscopists are limited.
• A novel, motion-optimized endoscope-holding device (scope-holder) was developed to mitigate muscular burden and allow for personalized scope positioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the ergonomic impacts of a newly developed, motion-optimized scope-holder in a simulated endoscopic setting.
• To evaluate the device's effect on physical workload, mental workload, and procedure time.

Main Methods:

• Recruited clinical endoscopists and nonmedical participants for a simulated endoscopic marking task.
• Compared task performance with and without the scope-holder.
• Measured procedure time, muscle activation (biceps brachii, trapezius, flexor carpi ulnaris) via electromyography, and mental workload using NASA-TLX.

Main Results:

• The scope-holder significantly reduced activation in the biceps brachii, trapezius, and flexor carpi ulnaris muscles (p < 0.05).
• Overall, participants using the scope-holder showed significantly lower NASA-TLX scores (p = 0.003) and reduced procedure times (p = 0.018).
• Subgroup analysis indicated reduced muscle load for both groups, with nonmedical participants showing additional improvements in mental workload and procedure time.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed scope-holder effectively reduces physical and mental workload during simulated endoscopic tasks.
• The device accommodates natural scope motion, offering a practical solution for improving ergonomics in endoscopic practice.
• This innovation has the potential to enhance safety and efficiency for endoscopists.