Surgical Ergonomics

The Problem

Surgeons develop musculoskeletal issues from straining long hours in awkward positions while operating on patients. This can cost hospitals an estimated $15M in losses each year.

• 8 in 10 surgeons experience chronic back/neck pain
• >76% of surgeons report not having any ergonomic training
• >$15M hospital expenditure for MSD-related sick leave & sabbaticals
• 1 in 5 surgeons plan to retire early as a result of physical toll

Creating the Solution

We spoke to 30 surgical residents at Columbia Presbyterian and ergonomic experts from all over the world to understand the problem. Surgeons need a metric to understand what their body goes through during a procedure.

We created an AI-driven real-time video analysis tool that "watches" surgeons while they perform surgery and gives them visual feedback during or after the procedure.

Our model reached better compliance than existing methods in a self-reported survey by surgeons — they found it more "usable" and easy to follow during surgery.

I led the stakeholder interviews for the team and moved into product design and distribution strategy because I knew the population I was designing for.

In the Market

Current support for surgeons only includes "breaks" (Mayo Clinic) and physical therapy help. Most surgical environments and instruments are not designed for women or people of color, leading to a severe lack of workplace ergonomics.

Solutions like TuMeke are not calibrated for surgical procedures and cannot offer exercise recommendations to surgeons. Our focus is on visual feedback — giving surgeons the power to understand their own body in a quantifiable way.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Regulatory

• FDA: Designation as DeNovo Class 2 Medical Device
• HIPAA: Data Security and Patient Privacy Regulations must be adhered to

Partnerships

Industry & Commercial

• Med-tech companies focused in surgical ergonomics like Intuitive, J&J
• Workplace insurance companies for hospitals
• Surgical Ergonomists

Aim to make InSim the top measuring tool for good ergonomics with devices and postures.

Clinical Bodies

• Mayo Clinic — pioneer in the US for surgical ergonomics
• ACS (American College of Surgeons)
• ACGME (American Council for Graduate Medical Education)

Aim to make "good posture" a training metric for surgeons.

Defining Success Metrics

Phase 0: Usability

How easy do surgeons find it to use the solution? How much setup is required? Ease of remembering and adopting the solution in the OR. Phase 0 results were based on a voluntary workshop with InSim Surgical AI Software pre-scaling.

Future Phases

Quantitative

• Frequency of use
• Improvement in posture over a set period
• Improvement in clinical outcomes

Qualitative

• Ease of use
• Perceived effectiveness

Key Takeaways

• The surgical population is a unique user population to design for. They are busy, they have too much paperwork, and they simply cannot "learn" more or prioritize new tools.
• Surgeon mindset: instruments are for patient outcomes and not for physician comfort — anything designed for comfort may face harder adoption in the OR.
• We wanted to give surgeons the power — show them what they go through in a quantifiable manner so they can decide how to maintain ergonomics. We prioritize visual feedback.