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