Operation-related Musculoskeletal Injuries among United States Surgeons: A Gender-stratified National Survey
Maria Tran, Michael W. Kortz, Britt Johnson, Jeffrey E. Janis- Surgery
- General Medicine
Background:
Operation-related musculoskeletal injury (ORMI) among surgeons is a well-described phenomenon. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported ORMI among surgeons of various subspecialties and preliminarily investigate the role of gender.
Methods:
An anonymous survey, querying information pertinent to ORMIs, was distributed online through the American College of Surgeons community membership forum. Nonparametric univariate analysis and a multivariate regression model were conducted. A
Results:
A total of 624 male and female surgeons responded to the survey, with 50.8% reporting having an injury related to operating. Among the entire cohort, the prevalence of ORMI was significantly higher among female surgeons than male surgeons (
Conclusion:
Female surgeons are more likely to report an ORMI, although the impact of confounding variables such as age, operative case volume, and surgical subspecialty remain to be fully elucidated.