This review highlights occupational hazards faced by surgeons and provides recommendations to improve surgical team safety.
May prompt enhanced safety protocols for surgeons; leaves open efficacy of recommendations pending prospective validation.
The safety of the patient and its importance in a surgical setting is well recognised. However, in the literature far less emphasis is placed upon the safety of the surgeon and his/her team. This review discusses the risks to which a surgeon is exposed, including blood-borne pathogens, radiation exposure, biomechanical stresses and fatigue, and the adverse effects of diathermy fumes. Strategies addressing these risks are presented and recommendations to improve surgical team safety are offered.
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Khajuria et al. (2012) studied this question.
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