Endoscopy-related injuries common in GI physicians
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While endoscopic-related injuries are common among physicians in gastroenterology, men and women report differences in injury sites and contributing mechanisms, according to study results.
Swati Pawa, MD, from the section of gastroenterology and hepatology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote it is unclear how aware practicing GIs are about ergonomic concepts in endoscopy or how many are incorporating them into their practice.
“Ergonomic training for endoscopy is a relatively new concept and could have important impact on decreasing endoscopy-related injuries [ERI],” they wrote. “For ergonomic training to be effective, it needs to be available to currently practicing GI as well as incorporated into GI training programs when optimal endoscopic technique and injury prevention strategies may be most impactful.”
Researchers sent a 38-item survey to members of the American College of Gastroenterology to assess the prevalence of self-reported ERI, patterns of injury as well as endoscopist knowledge of preventive strategies. They used answers from 1,698 collected surveys to evaluate the likelihood of ERI based on workload parameters and sex.
Among practicing GIs who answered the survey, 75% reported an ERI. The most common areas for injury were the thumb (63.3%), neck (59%), hand or finger (56.5%), lower back (52.6%), shoulder (47%) and wrist (45%). More than 60% of responders reported that they had no training in ERI prevention.
Although there was no significant difference in the prevalence of ERI between men and women, women GIs were more likely to report upper extremity injuries and men were more likely to report lower-back pain-related injuries.
Pawa and colleagues found that there were some differences between men and women in the reported mechanisms of ERI, with women more likely to report torquing with the right hand and nonadjustable beds or monitors contributing to ERI.
Physicians who took breaks (P = .002) or microbreaks (P = .016) during endoscopy had a lower likelihood of developing an ERI.
“The prevalence of ERI is an undue burden on the health and practices of GI performing endoscopy and mandates significant changes in the physical approach to endoscopy for both men and women,” Pawa and colleagues wrote. “Our results highlight the importance of training and education of all GI in ergonomics from early career stages, as well as the critical need for endoscopes with better ergonomic design to help reduce ERI.”
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