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Review
. 2022 Jun 18;11(12):3496.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11123496.

A Woman's Place Is in Theatre, but Are Theatres Designed with Women in Mind? A Systematic Review of Ergonomics for Women in Surgery

Maria Irene Bellini  1 , Maria Ida Amabile  1 , Paolina Saullo  1 , Noemi Zorzetti  1 , Mario Testini  1   2 , Roberto Caronna  1 , Vito D'Andrea  1
Affiliations
Review

A Woman's Place Is in Theatre, but Are Theatres Designed with Women in Mind? A Systematic Review of Ergonomics for Women in Surgery

Maria Irene Bellini et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Literature regarding ergonomic protocols for surgery is lacking, and there is a paucity of information on how this impacts on gender differences with regards to the barriers faced by women in surgery.

Methods: This article reviews current literature addressing women in surgery and ergonomics through a systematic search including the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases.

Results: Searches retrieved 425 items, and after a thorough evaluation for inclusion, 15 studies were examined-predominantly surveys (n = 9) and originating from the USA (n = 9). Identified ergonomic challenges included the general shorter height and smaller glove size of women. Furthermore, women experienced more musculoskeletal pain than men, potentially because the size and design of theatre tools are designed for male and tall individuals, highlighting an unconscious gender bias still pervading the surgical field.

Conclusions: As more women enter medicine and pursue surgical careers, it is essential to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion in theatre to develop more ergonomic environments.

Keywords: diversity and inclusion; ergonomics; female surgeons; gender equity; surgical education and training.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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