IntroductionErgonomics has significant implications for a surgical workforce that performs at the interface between human-operated equipment and patient anatomy to achieve operative results. This systematic review evaluated literature discussing ergonomics in plastic surgery to discuss current knowledge, evaluate trends, and identify gaps prime for future study. MethodsA systematic search strategy was developed with a licensed librarian and plastic surgeon to query all manuscripts evaluating ergonomics in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts, evaluated full texts, and extracted data. ResultsForty-six studies were ultimately included. The number of published studies increased significantly over time when evaluated by year (ρ = 0.660, p < 0.001), with 17 (36.9%) written since 2020. Studies more commonly discussed musculoskeletal pain/disorders (n = 23) compared to surgical instrumentation or technology (n = 18, p = 0.390), operative posture (n = 14, p = 0.041), surgical technique (n = 6, p = 0.002), peri-surgical practices (n = 5, p < 0.001), and surgeon physiology (n = 3, p < 0.001). Of the 19 studies including interventions, approaches more frequently involved novel instrumentation or technology (n = 14, 73.4%) compared to peri-surgical practices (n = 3, 6.5%, p < 0.001) or operative posture (n = 2, 4.3%, p < 0.001). ConclusionsErgonomics in plastic surgery has gained significant interest over time, with recent years representing a large proportion of published literature. Although most studies discuss musculoskeletal pain, the proportion of studies addressing posture and surgical practices are comparatively underrepresented, suggesting a welcome opportunity for future intervention.
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