Surgical Ergonomics 101 with Dr. M. Susan Hallbeck

Dr. M. Susan Hallbeck, PE, CPE is the Scientific Director of Human Factors Engineering and Professor of Health Care Systems Engineering in the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery and a Consultant in Health Care Delivery Research, as well as a Consultant in Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Hallbeck is the Past-President of both the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) and the Society for Surgical Ergonomics. Dr. Hallbeck is a licensed professional engineer and a certified professional ergonomist.

 In this episode, Dr. Hallbeck:  

• Shares her personal journey, training and how she became interested in surgical ergonomics
• Defines the term “Ergonomics”, which is derived from the Greek words “ergon” meaning work and “nomos” meaning natural law.
• Shares that 60-80% of surgeons and procedural staff report suffering from work-related musculoskeletal (WRMSK) symptoms and that 50% of them fear that the symptoms will affect that career longevity
• Emphasizes that WRMSK symtoms have consequences for the individual health care worker (including being associated with burnout) and society as a whole.
• Provides some tips for healthcare workers wishing to improve their ergonomics both in and out of the operating room
• Discusses the importance of taking breaks and performing posture resets as an important ergonomic intervention which improved both physical and mental wellbeing, without increasing OR time. You can use the free OR stretch app to get started with taking breaks during procedures.
• Shares the initial results from the hand-size study being performed via the Society of Surgical Ergonomics.  The purpose of the study is to better inform future instrument design by learning how surgeon hand and glove size correlate with grip strength and other variables. Please take a few minutes to contribute to this study here.
• You can follow Dr. Hallbeck on LinkedIn and access other important resources pertaining to her work here. 

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