ABSTRACT
IntroductionMany surgeons in public health systems were deployed away from elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now working under high pressure to reduce long waiting-lists including for people with malignancy.MethodsUsing validated methodology, a questionnaire was circulated to surgeons via societies and social media. Anonymized data from voluntary respondents were collected via a centralized database.Results242 Surgeons responded amongst whom 170 (70.3%) were male. 14% were aged 25 to 34, 28% 35 to 44 years, 35% 45 to 54 years, 17% 55 to 64 and 5.8 % were aged 65 and over. 65.7% were urologists, 13.6% orthopaedics and trauma – others came from a range of surgical specialties. 46.3% suffered lower back pain in the prior month, 47.3% stated that this adversely affected work and recreational activities, 57.1% stated this had occurred > 5x in the previous year. Hip, neck and shoulder pain ranged from 6.2–43.8 % with up to 33.9% stating MSK symptoms had interfered with their work and (with the exception of shoulder pain (48.5%)) in each case >50% described symptoms > 5x pa. Only 8.7% reported receiving any ergonomic support to ensure comfort at work and 26.5% had ever received training in ergonomics. Surgeons reported 26% of the time they were often or always at work when required at home, with 48.8% reporting regular impact on private life. Many surgeons (84.4%) also report conflicting demands at work.ConclusionsPost-pandemic, surgeons report a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and work/life conflict. Surgeons could themselves take measures to mitigate these effects but planning and development of rotas and operating theatres could also be optimized. Maintaining the health of surgical staff is fundamental to patient safety and to retain highly-trained professionals within their discipline.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We assess the potential benefits of increased physical activity for the global economy for 23 countries and the rest of the world from 2020 to 2050. The main factors taken into account in the economic assessment are excess mortality and lower productivity. METHODS: This study links three methodologies. First, we estimate the association between physical inactivity and workplace productivity using multivariable regression models with proprietary data on 120 143 individuals in the UK and six Asian countries (Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka). Second, we analyse the association between physical activity and mortality risk through a meta-regression analysis with data from 74 prior studies with global coverage. Finally, the estimated effects are combined in a computable general equilibrium macroeconomic model to project the economic benefits of physical activity over time. RESULTS: Doing at least 150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, as per lower limit of the range recommended by the 2020 WHO guidelines, would lead to an increase in global gross domestic product (GDP) of 0.15%-0.24% per year by 2050, worth up to US$314-446 billion per year and US$6.0-8.6 trillion cumulatively over the 30-year projection horizon (in 2019 prices). The results vary by country due to differences in baseline levels of physical activity and GDP per capita. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing physical activity in the population would lead to reduction in working-age mortality and morbidity and an increase in productivity, particularly through lower presenteeism, leading to substantial economic gains for the global economy.