The September issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons is now available online. This month’s cover article examines surgical ergonomics, an underacknowledged area of that has a significant effect on surgeons’ health and well-being. The article focuses on the unique challenges that women surgeons face in this area, such as mis-sized surgery tools and an often-unaccommodating operating environment, but it also provides insight into the shared issues that all surgeons may face.
According to Geeta Lal, MD, FACS, president and cofounder of the Society for Surgical Ergonomics, said: “We need to address the equipment, but also the culture. We need to get our hospital leaders to understand that pain affects not just productivity for surgeons, but it also has a detrimental effect on their quality of life, their ability to teach, their well-being, and the quality of care they provide.”
ACS Surgical Ergonomics Hand-On Clinic
The article also looks at programs that focus on surgeon’s health, including the upcoming ACS Surgical Ergonomics Hands-On Clinic being held in-person at Clinical Congress 2022 in San Diego, CA. The Surgical Ergonomics Clinic will be located at Booth 845 near ACS Central in the Exhibit Hall, Monday, October 17 through Wednesday, October 19. You are invited to reserve a spot for the clinic online.
The ACS also is investigating the practical impact of various interventions on surgical ergonomics through a research project. If you are currently experiencing one or two significant physical symptoms and are willing to actively implement ergonomic interventions, including optimal OR equipment placement and stretching exercises, you may want to review the eligibility requirements from the Education in Surgical Ergonomics web page.
For more information, contact Gyusung I. Lee, PhD, Assistant Director, Simulation-Based Surgical Education and Training and Co-Chair of the ACS Surgical Ergonomics Committee, at glee@facs.org.
Other Bulletin Highlights
The September Bulletin has much more to offer, including:
Executive Director’s Update: Surgical Metrics and Self-Regulation
Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, explains why the surgical profession is fortunate to be self-regulating and why the ACS is using innovation and evidence-based metrics to help surgeons turn their technical expertise into technical mastery.
Reinventing the Wheel: Mobile Cancer Screening Saves Lives, Provides Equitable Preventive Care
The pandemic made it more difficult for patients to undergo health screenings, but thanks to some innovative surgeons, screening equipment is being taken to the patients.
Surgical Metrics Project Returns to Clinical Congress
First offered at Clinical Congress 2019, the Surgical Metrics Project gives attendees the opportunity to use wearable technology to digitize their surgical actions and decisions and then compare their approaches to those included in a database of master surgeons.
2022 ACS QSC Focuses on Enhancing Surgical Quality Improvement
This article summarizes a small selection of sessions offered at this year’s in-person ACS Quality and Safety Conference, several of which are available to view on-demand through October 15.
