A Low Mean Closing Load and a Decrease in Load Change at the Tip Increase the Comfort of Scissors

TL;DR

The study found that surgeons find scissors more comfortable when they require less force to close and have a stable feel at the tip.

Contribution

This study identifies specific physical characteristics of surgical scissors that correlate with user comfort, aiding in quality control standards.

Findings

A strong negative correlation was found between comfort scores and mean closing load (r=-0.717).

A moderate negative correlation was found between comfort scores and load change at the tip (r=-0.687).

Load change at the tip was identified as an independent factor affecting comfort.

Abstract

Introduction

During surgery, surgeons intuitively recognize when they are using dull scissors and find them difficult to use. The purpose of this study was to objectively evaluate the physical characteristics of scissors and the comfort reported by surgeons to develop objective quality control standards for scissors used in surgery.

Methods

Sensory and measurement tests were conducted to evaluate the comfort and physical characteristics of ten pairs of Cooper scissors. As a sensory test, thirty-one volunteer surgeons opened and closed the scissors and selected three that felt comfortable and three that were uncomfortable. The results were scored. For measurement, a load was applied to the handle of the scissors. The load pressure and displacement of the width between each handle when the scissors were closed were measured.

Results

A strong negative correlation was found between the total comfort score and the mean load value between sensory and measurement tests (r=-0.717, p=0.0195). The correlation between the total score and the change in load at the tip showed a moderate negative correlation (r=-0.687, p=0.0282). Multiple regression analysis showed that the change in load at the tip was an independent factor affecting the total score.

Conclusions

Surgeons consider scissors with a low mean load required to close the scissors and a small change in load at the tip to be comfortable. The mean load on scissors and the change in load at the tip should be considered in the development of quality control standards for scissors used in surgery.

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