Unstructured intraoperative microbreaks improve perceived workload without prolonging operative time in head & neck surgery
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Updated: Nov 7, 2026
Non-Intubated Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery
Published on: May 26, 2023
Maria A Mavrommatis1, Brian Deutsch1, Harrison Smith1
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA.
Objectives:
To evaluate whether intraoperative microbreaks (MBs) affect operative duration and perceived workload among otolaryngology residents performing open head and neck endocrine surgery.
Methods:
In this prospective randomized-sequence crossover study, 12 residents completed four-week MB and non-MB periods under one attending surgeon. During MB periods, surgeons took 60-s unstructured breaks every 30 min. Operative data, weekly adapted NASA-TLX scores, and post-study responses were collected.
Results:
Across 230 procedures, operative duration did not differ between periods. All six workload domains and the composite score were lower during MB periods in repeated-measures analyses. All residents reported improved or unchanged performance, focus, fatigue, and stress and interest in future MB use.
Conclusion:
Among otolaryngology residents performing open head and neck endocrine surgery, MBs were associated with lower perceived workload without longer operative duration and were well accepted.