Ergonomic assessment of robotic general surgeons: a pilot study.

Inadequacies exist in the ergonomics of upper body positioning of robotic surgeons; these deficits in biomechanical efficacy predispose surgeons to musculoskeletal injury. Ergonomics and biomechanics may be objectively measured using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) to quantify ergonomic efficacy. The purpose of this study is to use validated ergonomic tools to assess the posture of robotic surgeons to examine deficiencies.