Surgeons' workload assessment during indocyanine-assisted deep endometriosis surgery using the surgery task load index: The impact of the learning curve

The effect of music on the operating surgeon: a pilot randomized crossover trial (the MOSART study)

OBJECTIVE

The experience of stress is common among surgeons while working in the operating theatre (OT). Understanding and finding ways to mitigate this stress is important for optimizing surgical quality and maintaining clinician wellbeing. In this pilot study, we tested the feasibility and reported the outcomes of measuring the effect of background music on intra-operative surgeon stress in the clinical environment.

METHODS

The effect of Music on the Operating Surgeon: A pilot Randomized crossover Trial (the MOSART study) was conducted over a 9-month period in a single-centre. Vascular and general surgeons acting as primary operators (POs) performing elective, general anaesthetic operations were included. The intervention was surgeon-selected music, and the control was the absence of music. Outcome measures were feasibility (recruitment rate, practicability, and completeness of data), heart rate variability (HRV) indices, the Six-Item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6), and the Surgical Task-load Index (SURG-TLX).

RESULTS

Five POs performed 74 eligible randomized cases. The protocol was well tolerated, and no cases were abandoned. Data was incomplete in 8% of cases. The overall mean (SD) operative SURG-TLX score was 48 (±22). Mean HR increased and RMSSD decreased significantly from baseline, suggesting reduced parasympathetic activity while operating. The presence of intra-operative music was not found to affect the psychological or physiological outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

A music interventional study of this nature is feasible in the operating theatre environment, though no difference was found between in the music and non-music conditions. Follow-up research in a simulated environment with intensive physiological monitoring could be considered.

The stress for surgeons: exploring stress entities with the robotic senhance surgical system

Robotic surgery is on its way to revolutionizing traditional surgical procedures, offering precise and minimally invasive techniques hypothesized to shorten recovery times and improve patient outcomes. While there have been multiple publications on robotic systems' medical and procedural achievements, more emphasis should be put on the surgeon's experience, especially in comparison with laparoscopic surgery. The present report aims to systematically examine the stress impact on surgeons by comparing the robotic Senhance Surgical System (Asensus Surgical, Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A) to laparoscopic surgery. The well-established "SURG-TLX" survey is used to measure distinct stress entities. The "SURG-TLX" survey is a modified version of the NASA-TLX, validated for surgery by M. Willson. Based on a comprehensive database from six centers encompassing various disciplines and surgical procedures, our analysis indicates significantly reduced "overall stress" levels for robotic (cockpit) compared to laparoscopic surgeons. Exploring the "SURG-TLX" stress dimensions further between methods (robotic vs. laparoscopic) and surgeon position (laparoscopic, (robotic) bedside, or (robotic) cockpit) resulted in significantly more Mental (p.value < 0.015), less Physical Demands (p.value < 0.001) and less Distraction (p.value < 0.009) for robotic surgery, especially regarding the robotic cockpit surgeons. This finding suggests that robotic surgery with the Senhance Surgical System contributes to a favorable stress profile for surgeons, potentially enhancing their overall well-being and performance.