Ergonomic risk assessment of surgeon's position during radical prostatectomy: Laparoscopic versus robotic approach

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a definitive surgical therapy for localized prostate cancer. Evidence suggests that the poor ergonomics of surgeons during RP may lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders and loss of productivity. Since each surgery modality has its physical demands, we compared the ergonomic risk between laparoscopic (LRP) and robotic-assisted (RARP) radical prostatectomy. METHODS: The study assessed the posture of 10 urological surgeons during LRP and RARP surgeries with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) scale. RESULTS: We found that the RARP approach resulted in lower REBA scores over the LRP procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic surgery improves body posture for the urological surgeon like in other medical specialties. However, the surgeons display harmful postures in both surgeries.