Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Dec 18, 2022; 13(12): 1056-1063
Published online Dec 18, 2022. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v13.i12.1056
Occupational injuries and burn out among orthopedic oncology surgeons
Abdulrahman M Alaseem, Robert E Turcotte, Nathalie Ste-Marie, Mohammad M Alzahrani, Saad M Alqahtani, Krista A Goulding
Abdulrahman M Alaseem, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Robert E Turcotte, Nathalie Ste-Marie, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal H4A3J1, Canada
Mohammad M Alzahrani, Saad M Alqahtani, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal university, Dammam 34212, Saudi Arabia
Krista A Goulding, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona 85054, USA
Author contributions: Alaseem AM, Turcotte RE, Alzahrani MM, Al-Qahtani SM, Goulding KA contribute to study design; Alaseem AM, Turcotte RE, Ste-Marie N, Alzahrani MM, Al-Qahtani SM, Goulding KA contribute to manuscript preparation; Turcotte RE, Alzahrani MM, Al-Qahtani SM, Goulding KA contribute to methodology; Ste-Marie N contribute tostatistical analysis.
Institutional review board statement: This was a survey study and institutional review board was not required for this study.
Informed consent statement: This study is a survey and informed consent was not required.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: Raw data and material are available as needed.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohammad M Alzahrani, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal university, King Faisal Road, Dammam 34212, Saudi Arabia. mmalzahrani@iau.edu.sa
Received: September 17, 2022
Peer-review started: September 17, 2022
First decision: October 12, 2022
Revised: October 12, 2022
Accepted: November 29, 2022
Article in press: November 29, 2022
Published online: December 18, 2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Orthopedic oncology surgeons commonly engage in prolonged and complex surgical procedures. These types of surgeries increase the risk of physical and psychological stressors, which may in turn make these physicians prone to work-related occupational injuries.

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore in orthopedic oncologists, the prevalence of work-related physical injuries and psychological disturbances.

METHODS

A modified version of the physical discomfort survey was developed to assess occupational injuries among orthopedic oncology surgeon members of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, the Canadian Orthopedic Oncology Society and European Musculoskeletal Oncology Societies. The survey was sent by email, and it explored musculoskeletal complaints, psychological disturbances, treatment required for these complaints and the requirement of time off work.

RESULTS

A total of 67 surgeon responses were collected. A high number of orthopedic oncologists (84%) reported an occupational injury. Low back pain (39%) was the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition, followed by lumbar disk herniation (16%), shoulder tendinitis (15%) and lateral epicondylitis (13%). Of the cohort, 46% required surgery and 31% required time off work due to their injury. Thirty-three respondents reported a psychological disorder. Burnout (27%), anxiety (20%) and insomnia (20%) were the most commonly reported. Time required off work due to injury was associated with old age and years in practice.

CONCLUSION

Orthopedic oncology surgeons report a high prevalence of work-related disorders. Lower back related injury and burnout were the most reported disorders. Improving operative room ergonomics and prevention of stress related to the work environment should be areas to explore in upcoming research.

Keywords: Orthopedic oncology, Surgeons, Occupational, Musculoskeletal, Injuries.

Core Tip: Orthopedic oncologists reported a high prevalence of occupational injury and work-related stress. Futures studies should be directed towards exploring areas to improve the operative environment and methods to decrease conditions associated with stress at work.