This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Sunoptic Surgical. You can learn about them and schedule a demo via https://sunopticsurgical.com/surgicalergonomics/

Disclosure:

Sunoptic Surgical is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you.

Dr. Sara White is a veterinarian and has worked in mixed animal, small animal, shelter medicine and High-Quality, High-Volume Spay Neuter (HQHVSN) practices. Since 2006, Sara has operated Spay ASAP Inc, a nonprofit MASH-style mobile spay/neuter clinic. While working in spay-neuter, Sara developed an interest in ergonomics, health, wellbeing, and injury in veterinarians and staff, and completed a Masters of Science in Health Ergonomics from University of Derby in the UK. She has been named Veterinarian of the Year by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, coauthored the Association of Shelter Veterinarians Spay Neuter Guidelines and is the editor of the textbook High-Quality, High-Volume Spay and Neuter and Other Shelter Surgeries

In this episode, Dr. White:

- Shares her journey into working in a high-volume spay/neuter practice and how that sparked her interest in ergonomics

-Describes the high rate of work-related MSK injuries among veterinarians and especially those in high volume spay-neuter practices. The period prevalence of MSD was 99.1%, with 76.7% experiencing hand or wrist pain and 98.2% experiencing body pain. Further details can be found here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/3/1/85

- Emphasizes that increasing career length, increasing weekly hours in surgery and decreasing job satisfaction were the work-related factors with the greatest relative risk of hand pain severity and total pain. Interestingly, gender differences were not as prominent in her study, possibly because of the lack of instrument and hand size mismatch in the veterinary population

- Shares that there wasn't any formal ergonomics training when she trained in veterinary medicine, however, there is now some incorporation of ergonomics teaching in programs and textbooks

- Describes her journey into coaching veterinarians about ergonomics

You can reach Dr. White via her website ergovet.com or via LinkedIn

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Dr. Christopher Perkes is an Anesthesiologist at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. His non-clinical pursuits have included serving as an Anesthesia Medical Director (Quinte Health), Premesis Inspection Committee member for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and delivering a Canadian Anesthesiology Society presentation on Ergonomics for the Anesthesiologist. His interest in ergonomics began in 2018 when he suffered a back injury that threatened his career.

In this episode, Dr. Perkes:

- Shares how his own injury (herniated L5/S1 intervertebral disc) sparked his interest in ergonomics

- Discusses the ergonomic risks faced by anesthesia providers in their daily work and the factors that keep people from getting help when their symptoms first develop

- Emphazised the importance of working with a specialist (physical therapist, occupational therapist or ergonomist) to analyze our postures in our workflow

- Outlines practical steps that practitioners can take to set up their environment ergonomically and also advocate for ergonomic equipment

- Shared his thoughts on how good ergonomics can be incorporated into residency training and practicing providers

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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:

Ms. Jeannette Wagner is a Surgical Technologist and is Team Lead in the operating rooms at University of Iowa Health Care, Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She oversees multiple services along with scrubbing a large variety of surgeries. Her true passion is scrubbing pediatric cardiac and takes pride in being a part of the surgical team. An important part of her role as Team Lead is education for staff and training Surgical Technologists, as well as nurses to the scrub role. She is a dedicated and motivated professional with a passion for lifelong learning and personal growth. She is a member of the Scheduling Committee in her department and in the past was a member and chair of the UPC council for SFCH surgical department. Her personal interests include spending time with her family and 3 granddaughters, being out in nature and always willing to take on new challenges and expand her skills.

In this episode Ms. Wagner:

- Shares the MSK issues she has faced over her almost 30-year career as a scrub technologist, including needing surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and a shoulder injury

- Emphasized that there is a lack of education around ergonomics in the training of scrub technologists

-Discusses data that shows OR nurses have high rates of MSK injuries when compared to nurses working in other hospital environments and that back injuries are the most common MSK issue

- Describes some of the barriers to implementing ergonomic best practices among OR scrub staff

- Provides tips on handling the power differential in the OR when it comes to utilizing ergonomic aids

- Emphasizes how communication between surgeons and techs can ease access to the field and improve ergonomics for everyone

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