Physical and mental health impairments experienced by operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants during laparoscopic surgery: a cross-sectional survey

INTRODUCTION: Surgeons may experience physical and mental health problems because of their jobs, which may lead to chronic muscle damage, burnout, or even withdrawal. However, these are often ignored in camera-holder assistants during laparoscopic surgery. We aimed to analyze the differences between operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants. METHODS: From January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the muscle pain, fatigue, verbal scolding, and task load for operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the Space Administration Task Load Index, and the Surgical Task Load Index (SURG-TLX) were combined in the questionnaire. RESULTS: 2,184 operations were performed by a total of 94 operating surgeons and 220 camera assistants. 81% of operating surgeons and 78% of camera-holder assistants reported muscle pain/discomfort during the procedure. The most affected anatomic region was the shoulders for operating surgeons, and the lower back for camera-holder assistants. Intraoperative fatigue was reported by 41.7% of operating surgeons and 51.7% of camera-holder assistants. 55.2% of camera-holder assistants reported verbal scolding from the operating surgeons, primarily attributed to lapses in laparoscope movement coordination. The SURG-TLX results showed that the distributions of mental, physical, and situational stress for operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants were comparable. CONCLUSION: Like operating surgeons, camera-holder assistants also face similar physical and mental health impairments while performing laparoscopic surgery. Improvements to the working conditions of the camera-holder assistant should not be overlooked.