Highlights
- •Almost 70% of proceduralists report instruments do fit their hands.
- •Females and smaller handed individuals struggle more with instruments.
- •A sub-set of females perceive hand size affects ability to learn a procedure.
- •This perception has implications for instrument usability and education.
Abstract
Objective
Determining perception of hand size as it relates to instrument use and ability to
perform a procedure in a diverse population of proceduralists across surgical and
medical specialties.
Methods
Cross-sectional survey was distributed via electronic format to a convenience sample
of surgeons/physicians. Secondary analysis included identified instrument use and
choice of/perception of ability to learn and perform procedures.
Results
488 respondents, 84.4% (female), 75.8% (glove size ≤6.5), and 82.2% (surgical specialties).
67.8% reported trouble using surgical instruments, primarily endoscopes, laparoscopic
instruments, and needle drivers. Latent class analysis identified two groups of female
respondents with similar hand sizes but differ in the perception of their hand's abilities.
Conclusions and relevance
Instruments beyond laparoscopic instruments do not fit all hands. Even among female
with physicians with similar hand size, there is a sub-set who struggle using surgical
tools. Beyond gender and hand size, the operator's perception of their hand and their
ability is critical in determining the viability of instrument mastery.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 15, 2022
Accepted:
May 12,
2022
Received in revised form:
May 10,
2022
Received:
January 7,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
