This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them, the special rates they are offering for podcast listerners and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlal

Disclosure:

Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Patricia Trbovich is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and cross appointed at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. She holds the Badeau Family Research Chair in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement at North York General Hospital. She is the Research and Scholarship lead, Centre for Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (C-QuIPS).

Patricia leads HumanEra, a team dedicated to enhancing healthcare safety and performance through human factors research. With over 15 years of experience, she's implemented health technologies and trained professionals worldwide. Now, she’s focused on advancing surgical safety through innovative tools such as the OR Black Box to identify safety threats to provider and patient safety, apply human factors principles to operationalize resilience, and prototype and test human factors informed interventions.

In this episode Dr. Trbovich:

- Shares her training background and how she arrived at her current role

- Defines cognitive ergonomics as a branch of Human Factors that focuses on how we design systems to support the way people think, the way they make decisions and how they manage information, especially under pressure

- Describes the consequences of not paying attention to workers' cognitive ergonomics in the OR, such as, creating conditions where they are overloaded and forced into task-switching (often mistaken for multi-tasking) which then increases the risk of errors

- Discusses her work where her team have identified the most interrupted time for anesthesiologists (i.e. emergence) and nurses (i.e. closing counts)

- Elaborates on the OR black box and other tools (surveys such as the NASA-Task Load Index, observations, objective measures of physiologic responses and behavior markers) that are used to study interruptions and understand work as it is done, and not as it is imagined

- Shares Black box data is useful to look at not only safety threats but also resilience supports and psychological safety.....

- Discusses strategies for preserving cognitive bandwidth of various team members in the OR e.g. calling out increasing cognitive load prior to it reaching a critical point, using checklists and other visual indicators and looking at how often staff are task-switching

You can learn more about the work references in this episode in these articles:

1) https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/10/e104713.long

2)https://journals.lww.com/annalsofsurgery/fulltext/2024/07000/using_the_operating_room_black_box_to_assess.13.aspx

You can reach Dr. Trbovich on Linked In

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them, the special rates they are offering for podcast listerners and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlal

Disclosure:

Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Erin Sheffield is a board certified oral maxillofacial surgeon, speaker, educator, and advocate. Her passion is reshaping the culture of surgery by amplifying the voices of women and redefining what it means to thrive in this high demand profession. She is the founder of The Doctor Is ALL In (formerly known as Elevate Summit), a wellness and leadership retreat for women in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, and co-host of The Resting Stitch Face Podcast, where she leads unfiltered conversations about the realities of life as a woman in surgery.
As a content creator, she is known for her openness and authenticity, inspiring the next generation of doctors and empowering patients to make more informed and empowered healthcare choices. She practices at Quincy Medical Group, a large multispecialty physicians group in Illinois. She previously served as assistant professor at the Univeristy of Iowa and currently serves on institutional committees for antiobiotic stewardship and ambulatory surgery.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Sheffield

- Shares how although dentistry training does a better job than surgical training reminding trainees about optimal postures during procedures, dentists have high rates of MSK injury

- Outlines how she tries to incorporate ergonomic best practices in her own practice and while training dental staff. These include adjusting the height of the chair, sitting during certain procedures, stretching in between cases to name a few

- Describes other strategies that she has adopted over the years, including investing in good overhead lights to avoid using headlights, only using loupes when absolutely needed and adjusting workflow to offload physical strain

- Expresses how working with a physical therapist was really helpful for overall physical health even though she initially sought them out for pelvic issues post-partum

- Discusses how smaller handed dentists (more likely to be women) often have issues handling dental instruments e.g. syringes used to inject local anesthetics

You can reach Dr. Sheffield on:

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-sheffield-dds-9ab281339/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drerinsheffield/

Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRestingStitchFacePodcast

Website: https://www.doctorisallin.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them, the special rates they are offering for podcast listerners and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlal

Disclosure:

Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Philip Haigh is an endocrine and oncologic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (KP-LAMC), and a Clinical professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J Tyson School of Medicine. He is a regional resource within the Southern California Permanente Medical Group for treating patients with complicated thyroid, parathyroid disease, and sarcoma. His research interests are focused on population studies on primary hyperparathyroidism and thyroid disease, and more recently in surgical ergonomics, particularly MSK pain in surgeons. He was a founding member and the first treasurer, and is currently the president of the Society of Surgical Ergonomics.

In this episode, Dr. Haigh:

- Shares his story of experiencing work-related neck pain, which eventually led to his interest in the field of surgical ergonomics and his role as a founding member and inaugural treasurer of the Society of Surgical Ergonomics (SSE)

- Discusses how he was inspired to change his workflow around neck surgery by using the operating microscope for thyroid surgery (based on one paper that mentioned a potential ergonomic benefit)

- Describes his reasons for continuing to use the operating microscope for thyroid surgery i.e. superior lighting and magnification (obviating the the need for a headlight and loupes respectively). His experience with this technique and findings are summarized in this paper published in the American Journal of Surgery

- Stresses the importance of microbreaks and stretches as interventions to improve surgical ergonomics and shares his experience implementing them at his institution

- Emphasizes his experience on operating with another surgeon for long and complex cases to reduce both the physical and cognitive load and hence, working "smarter"

- Shares his vision for his role as the next President of the SSE

You can reach Dr. Haigh on X and LinkedIn

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Smart Step Surgical LLC. You can learn about them and schedule a demo via https://www.smartstepsurgical.com/blogs/news/surgical-ergonomic-podcast-promotional-discount

Disclosure:

Smart Step Surgical is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. They also provide our podcast listeners with a discount (20%), so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Kimberly Kho is currently a Professor, inaugural Chief of
Advanced Gynecology and MIGS and Associate Chair of Faculty Development in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Most recently, she was a Professor, the Associate Chief of Gynecology, and the Director of the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
In addition to patient care, Dr. Kho has been a National Institutes of
Health-supported clinical scholar with a focus on evaluating surgical techniques and technologies for the treatment of fibroids, adenomyosis and endometriosis, and more recently on surgical ergonomics. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for AAGL.

In this episode (recorded prior to her move) Dr. Kho:

- Shares how she first became aware of body mechanics in her intern year while performing an elective C-section with her attending and how her MSK pain was exacerbated in fellowship

- Describes how she felt that she could not disclose or discuss her injuries as a new attending trying to establish a practice

- Discusses why high-achieving surgeons and proceduralists experience shame, guilt and pressure to perform, thus not seeking help until their bodies force them

- Shares results of a recent study showing that 95.7% of gynecologic surgeons have pain during or after performing surgery. In addition, nearly 24% reported changing the surgical modality they offered patients based on their symptoms, and 62.5% were concerned about their ability to operate in the future

- Emphasizes that although she still uses conventional laparoscopy, she has switched to doing more robot-assisted surgery for improved ergonomics

- Expands on her ergonomics non-negotiables for the OR - Correct set-ups for both laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgery, anti-fatigue mats, proper footwear and intra-operative breaks and stretches

- Encourages us all to work to improve OR culture for all personnel including nurses and scrub techs

Dr. Kho can be reached on LinkedIn and Instagram

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlal

Disclosure:

Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Amanda Laird is a fellowship-trained endocrine surgeon Dr. Laird is a fellowship trained endocrine surgeon and Chief of the Section of Endocrine Surgery at Rutgers Cancer Institute. She treats neuroendocrine and endocrine tumors of the thyroid, parathyroid glands, and adrenal glands, and has obtained a Designation of Focused Practice in Adult Complex Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery from the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Laird serves on several committees for both the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and the Association of Academic Surgery. Her clinical research has yielded peer-reviewed publications, reviews, book chapters, and both national and international presentations.

In this episode, Dr. Laird:

- Provides how the spectrum of MSK injuries varies, depending upon specialty and the types of cases one does

- Discusses that endocrine surgeons have a high rate of MSK symptoms (90% in a survey study Am J Surg 2022 Jul;224(1 Pt B):315-318).

- Shares that she has had multiple MSK injuries (some needing surgery) throughout her training and career, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Type 3

- Reflects on how the expectations placed on providers and the culture of surgery makes it harder for individuals to seek help for their MSK symptoms

- Described some of the lessons she has learned during her ergonomics journey, including how she has modified her endocrine practice to reduce the strain on her body (e.g. operating from the same side of the table as the pathology during thyroidectomy, taking breaks)

You can reach Dr. Laird on LinkedIn here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by PearsonRavitz Insurance. You can learn about them and schedule a consultation on my website at: https://pearsonravitz.com/surgicalergonomics/

Disclosure:

PearsonRavitz is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you.

Episode details:

Barbara Van Gorp is a clinical specialist with Iowa Orthopedics, Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation within University of Iowa Health Care. She received both her MTP and tDPT from Concordia University Wisconsin. She has nearly 25 years of clinical experience. In addition, Barbara performs research on the management of chronic spine and tendinopathy pain. She has presented her work at numerous state, national and international conferences. In her free time, Barbara enjoys painting nature and outdoor scenes, bike riding, hiking, gardening and cooking for her family and friends.

In this episode Dr. Van Gorp:

- Shares how she became interested in treating healthcare workers for MSK symptoms

- Describes how sustained forward head posture (in and out of the OR)can head to imbalances which manifest as Upper Cross Syndrome

- Explains how physical therapy can help with alleviating work-related MSK symptoms via pain relief, postural dynamics via stretching/strenghtening and assessing the mind-body connection.

- Discusses how one doesn't need multiple PT appointments a week to get a treatment plan in place

- Shares her top high-yield exercises for proceduralists and trainees to address forward head posture

You can reach Barbara here: https://uihc.org/providers/barbara-van-gorp

Find additional info at: https://painguide.com/pain-care/self-care/

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlal

Disclosure:

Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Jeremy Greenlee is a Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at the University of Iowa specializing in adult and pediatric neurosurgery. He is the Dr. Arnold H. Menezes Chair in Neurosurgery and Vice-chair in the Department. His research interests include neurophysiology of the frontal lobe, endoscopic and minimally invasive neurosurgery and the treatment of pituitary tumors and movement disorders.

In this episode, Dr. Greenlee:

- Shares how traditional loupes, although great for visualization, can lead to cervical spine issues due to their weight and fixed (declination) angles

- Describes why he gravitated towards using the operating microscope for his cases and how this may help remove some of the ergonomic issues related to using loupes and headlights

- Emphasizes that the microscope is not a panacea and it is important to pay attention to how you set up the microscope, keep the arms at the correct height and use arm rests as needed

- Discusses how newer loupes with steep angles of declination (including deflection loupes) can be helpful to maintain neutral neck posture in some situations, depending on the depth of the field one is working in

- Advises using breaks for improving both physical and cognitive ergonomics

- Suggests trying out exoscopes instead of using the operating microscopes, especially when working in small fields

- Advises attention to spine health via stretching and strengthening exercises to reduce the risk of degenerative spine issues

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlal

Disclosure:

Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!

Episode details:

Dr. Thomas Varghese Jr. is the Chief, Section of General Thoracic Surgery at the University of Utah; Chief Value Officer (Ambulatory and Inpatient) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI); Associate Chief Medical Quality Officer at Huntsman Cancer Hospital; and a Professor (Tenure-track) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Tom is a health services researcher whose clinical, research and operational experience span the fields of innovation science and implementation science. He helped create the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Strong for Surgery program and is a co-PI on the National Cancer Institute RO1-funded clinical trial on the role of Precision Exercise Prescription (PEP) for elective lung cancer surgical resection .

Dr. Varghese has served in several leadership positions in various organizations and is the immediate Past President of SUS (presidential term 2024-2025), and is the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS)

In this episode, Dr. Varghese:

- Shares his journey with musculoskeletal symptoms, which developed on a background of childhood hip dysplasia

- Discusses the culture of surgery as a huge barrier to surgeons and procedualists getting the help that they need when they initially develop symptoms

- Emphasizes the high rate of musculoskeletal symptoms ("not if, but when") in cardiothoracic surgeons and the risk factors for their development as described in this paper https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(23)00749-3/abstract

- Shares his best practices for improved ergonomic health inside and outside the OR

Dr. Varghese can be reached via his social media handles and website:

X: @tomvarghesejr

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tomvarghesejr

University of Utah Academic Website: https://healthcare.utah.edu/fad/mddetail.php?physicianID=u6001828

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook and please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the show