Recognition of the value of ergonomics is rising
“Endoscopy related injury and disability is a known hazard of our profession,” said Gyanprakash A. Ketwaroo, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, in an interview. “Any studies to assess and, more importantly, offer ways to prevent such injury are immediately relevant. In this context, ergonomics for endoscopy is an increasing area of research.”
Dr. Ketwaroo said that the study results were not surprising. “I agree with authors that there is a paucity of general ergonomic training and assessment. Specific individualized wellness plans are rare. Developing an individual plan based on observation by physical therapists, and taking into account baseline injury or predisposition to injury would be expected to be more high yield for preventing injury and improving performance
“I believe the main take-home message from the study is that an individualized ergonomic plan based on assessment and feedback by physical therapists appears promising for optimizing endoscopic performance to minimize injury and reduce fatigue,” Dr. Ketwaroo said. However, “long-term studies in much larger samples will be needed to document objective findings of reduced injury or fatigue.”
The study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose. Dr. Ketwaroo serves on the GI & Hepatology News editorial advisory board.