Can heart rate variability be used as an objective measure of mental stress in surgeons during surgery?
Heart rate variability is an effective objective tool for assessing mental stress in surgeons during operations.
HRV showed to be a good objective assessment method of stress induced in the workplace environment: it was able to pinpoint stressors during operations, determine which operating techniques induced most stress for surgeons, and indicate differences in stress levels between performing and assisting surgery. For future research, this review recommends using singular guidelines to standardize research, and performing artefact correction. This will improve further evaluation of the long-term effects of mental stress and its recovery.
Thé et al. (Wed,) studied this question.