Improvement of foot pedals used during surgery based on new ergonomic guidelines.
BACKGROUND
This study aims to create new ergonomic guidelines for the design of foot pedals used during surgery.


METHODS
Observations in the operating room, a questionnaire among 45 laparoscopic surgeons/residents, an ergonomic literature study, and clog measurements were used to assess the problems occurring during use and to compile new guidelines for foot pedals. Based on these guidelines a new foot pedal was designed and a prototype was manufactured.


RESULTS
During the surgical procedure 91% of the subjects occasionally loses contact with the foot pedal, which 56% experience as very annoying. All subjects think that the current foot pedals obstruct their freedom of movement; 75% occasionally hit the wrong switch and 53% experience physical discomfort in their legs and/or feet. Therefore, 93% of the subjects would like to control the diathermy in a different way. The new prototype of a foot pedal was evaluated in a pilot test and proved to be ergonomically better than the currently used foot pedals.


CONCLUSIONS
The new guidelines for foot pedals result in an ergonomic improvement in their design.
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands. m.a.vanveelen@io.tudelft.nl
M A
MA
van Veelen
C J
CJ
Snijders
E
E
van Leeuwen
R H M
RH
Goossens
G
G
Kazemier
D004867:Equipment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot; D013502:General Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires