Ergonomics of Ophthalmic Surgery: Evaluating the Effect of a Posture Trainer on Trainee Intraoperative Back Posture

Purpose Ophthalmic surgeons are at an increased risk for musculoskeletal disorders resulting from ophthalmology-specific routines and equipment, which have become widely associated with poor posture. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect that a commercially available posture trainer, Upright Go, can have on the improvement of posture of ophthalmic surgeons. Methods Eight ophthalmologists-in-training were studied over a period of 4 weeks during their surgical rotations between September 2020 and June 2021. Participants underwent an “observation” period, followed by a 2-week “training” period, then a final “testing” period. The percentage of time users spent upright intraoperatively pre- and posttraining was evaluated. Pre- and poststudy surveys were also administered to help measure participant satisfaction and self-reported changes in posture. Results All eight participants demonstrated an increase in the percentage of time spent upright after the training period. Across all participants, the total average percentage spent upright in the observation period was 59.8%, while in the testing period was 87.1%, resulting in an average improvement of 27.3% of time spent in an upright position after the completion of the training period ( p < 0.0001). The range of improvement of time spent upright was 16.0 to 46.5%. Conclusion This cohort study utilized the Upright Go device to help determine the effect that its training could have on the improvement of posture in ophthalmic surgeons. The results indicated a significant increase in the average proportion of time spent with upright posture compared after the training period.