Prevalence of Work-Related Pain or Discomfort Among Urologists in the State of Florida: Results From the Florida Urologic Society Task Force on Ergonomic Challenges Experienced by Its Members

Abstract Background Pain and work-related musculoskeletal disorders are commonly seen in surgeons, significantly impacting quality of life and burnout. A questionnaire-based study was conducted to further investigate the nature and etiology of work-related pain among urologists in the state of Florida. Objective This study aimed to quantify the number of urologists who reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders >25% of the time. Methods The Florida Urologic Society Task Force developed a survey based on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, with additional input from Cornell’s ergonomic studies. The Mayo Clinic Survey Research Center conducted the survey and distributed it to 504 members of the Florida Urologic Society in 2023. Results The total response rate was 18.6% (94/504). The primary outcome (number of urologists who reported pain >25% of the time) was 45.3% (34/75). In total, 32.4% (22/68) of the respondents reported pain associated with endoscopic surgery >25% of the time, 40.0% (14/35) reported pain for major open cases, 20.6% (13/63) reported pain for minor open cases, and 22.7% (5/22) reported pain for robotic cases. In total, 68.8% (53/77) of the respondents attributed their work-related pain to uncomfortable operating positions, and 29.9% (23/77) chose to ignore their pain. Conclusions In this contemporaneous population of Florida urologic surgeons, almost half of the respondents describe having work-related pain >25% of the time. The data show that major open surgery had the highest rate of pain, followed closely by endoscopic surgery. Over 70% of the urologists in Florida are interested in official ergonomics training, which, if developed, may lead to increased productivity and better emotional, personal, and interpersonal well-being.