Preventing Surgeon Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Pilot Study of the Comprehensive Operating Room Ergonomics (CORE) Program.

Importance: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among surgeons are markedly increasing. Several proposed interventions to reduce WMSDs among surgeons have been studied, but few follow an occupational therapy-oriented approach addressing biomechanical, psychophysical, and psychosocial risk factors.

Objective: To design, implement, and assess the potential of the Comprehensive Operating Room Ergonomics (CORE) program for surgeons, a holistic evidence-based ergonomics and wellness intervention grounded in occupational therapy principles.

Assessment of Chief Resident Practice Readiness in a Porcine Lab: A 4-Year Experience.

Objective: General surgery training prepares residents for the autonomous practice of surgery; however, assessment for readiness for independent practice presents several challenges. The simulation lab offers a safe and standardized environment for assessing the technical skills of a resident in the absence of numerous confounders of the real operating room. We describe our experience with evaluation and remediation of chief resident assessments in a porcine simulation lab.

Chylous ascites in the setting of internal hernia: a reassuring sign.

Background: Chylous ascites is often reported in cases with lymphatic obstruction or after lymphatic injuries such as intraabdominal malignancies or lymphadenectomies. However, chylous ascites is also frequently encountered in operations for internal hernias. We sought to characterize the frequency and conditions when chylous ascites is encountered in general surgery patients.

Multidisciplinary simulation-based trauma team training with an emphasis on crisis resource management improves residents' non-technical skills.

Background: Non-technical skills impact trauma resuscitation time. Crisis resource management teaches non-technical skills required for effective teamwork in a crisis. We developed a simulation-based multidisciplinary trauma team training, with an emphasis on crisis resource management and a goal of improving residents' non-technical skills.

Attending Surgeons' Leadership Style in the Operating Room: Comparing Junior Residents' Experiences and Preferences.

Purpose: Recent studies have focused on surgeons' nontechnical skills in the operating room (OR), especially leadership. In an attempt to identify trainee preferences, we explored junior residents' opinions about the OR leadership style of teaching faculty.

Methods: Overall, 20 interns and 20 mid-level residents completed a previously validated survey on the style of leadership they encountered, the style they preferred to receive, and the style they personally employed in the OR.

Trainee participation is associated with adverse outcomes in emergency general surgery: an analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Objective: To identify whether resident involvement affects clinically relevant outcomes in emergency general surgery.

Background: Previous research has demonstrated a significant impact of trainee participation on outcomes in a broad surgical patient population.

Methods: We identified 141,010 patients who underwent emergency general surgery procedures in the 2005-2010 Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.