The Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute Center for Health Policy, Vanderbilt University, Suite 4200, South Tower, MCE, Nashville, TN 37221, USA.
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013 Aug 7;95(15):e107. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.L.01427.
Orthopaedic surgery is a physically demanding profession that requires many hours per week in body positions known to contribute to musculoskeletal injury and pain. Injuries to surgeons can affect the delivery of care and impose costs on the health care system. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of injuries sustained at the workplace during the career of an orthopaedic surgeon as well as the impact of such injuries on practicing surgeons.
A survey was developed to assess occupational injury among orthopaedic surgeons. Electronic surveys were distributed via e-mail to all orthopaedic surgeons in Tennessee. Data were analyzed to determine statistical associations of demographic and workplace factors with the rate of injury.
One hundred and forty (28%) of 495 surveys were returned, with representation from all orthopaedic subspecialties. Sixty-one (44%) of the respondents reported sustaining one or more injuries at the workplace during their career. A significant association was found between years performing surgery and prevalence of injury (p = 0.03), with surgeons working between twenty-one and thirty years reporting the most injuries. Twenty-five percent of respondents reported sustaining an injury to the hand; 19%, to the lower back; 10%, to the neck; 7%, to the shoulder; and 6%, to another area. Fourteen (10%) of all surgeons reported missing work as a result of a workplace injury, with five (4%) missing at least three weeks. Twenty-three surgeons (38% of injured respondents) reported that no institutional resources were available to support their recovery from the injury.
Our study is the first of its kind, to our knowledge, to demonstrate that many orthopaedic surgeons sustain occupational injuries during their careers. The volume of work missed suggests that occupational injury has economic implications for the health-care system and providers. Given the number of injured respondents reporting no institutional support for occupational injuries, more attention should be focused on this issue.
矫形外科是一项体力要求很高的职业，每周需要在已知会导致肌肉骨骼损伤和疼痛的体位下工作数小时。外科医生受伤会影响医疗服务的提供，并给医疗保健系统带来成本。本研究旨在确定矫形外科医生职业生涯中在工作场所遭受的伤害的发生率和类型，以及此类伤害对执业外科医生的影响。
开发了一项调查来评估矫形外科医生的职业伤害。通过电子邮件向田纳西州的所有矫形外科医生分发电子调查。对数据进行分析，以确定人口统计学和工作场所因素与受伤率的统计关联。
在 495 份调查中，有 140 份（28%）返回，代表了所有矫形外科亚专科。61 名（44%）受访者报告在职业生涯中曾在工作场所遭受过一次或多次伤害。手术年限与受伤率之间存在显著关联（p = 0.03），工作年限为 21 至 30 年的外科医生报告受伤最多。25%的受访者报告手部受伤；19%，下背部；10%，颈部；7%，肩部；6%，另一个区域。14 名（所有外科医生的 10%）报告因工作场所受伤而缺勤，其中 5 名（4%）至少缺勤三周。23 名（受伤受访者的 38%）报告说，没有机构资源可用于支持他们从受伤中恢复。
据我们所知，我们的研究是首例表明许多矫形外科医生在职业生涯中遭受职业伤害的研究。错过的工作量表明，职业伤害对医疗保健系统和提供者具有经济影响。鉴于许多受伤的受访者报告没有机构支持职业伤害，应该更加关注这个问题。
