A case-study comparison of qualitative and quantitative techniques for assessing surgeon ergonomics

Surgeons are often exposed to many ergonomic risk factors during open, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted surgical procedures, which lead to pain or discomfort in alarmingly high percentages of surgeons. Ergonomic risk factors specific to colon and rectal surgery subspecialty have been hypothesized, but little research has been done on this topic. To investigate this, an ergonomics-centered case study was performed with an experienced colon and rectal surgeon at a teaching hospital to investigate their experiences with surgery, ergonomics, and musculoskeletal pain. Specifically, a semi-structured interview was performed with the participant, and skin surface electromyography electrodes were placed on the participant to record muscle activity data as they performed rectal surgeries using open, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted surgical techniques. The results of this case study indicate that for this participant, robotic surgery may provide the most relief from current pain and discomfort; however, the relationship between muscle activation and surgical modality is complex, and both qualitative and quantitative methods are needed to provide a complete ergonomic analysis of colon and rectal surgery in a teaching hospital setting.