Dexterity assessment of hospital workers: prospective comparative study

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the manual dexterity and composure under pressure of people in different hospital staff roles using a buzz wire game.

Design: Prospective, observational, comparative study (Tremor study).

Setting: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK, during a three week period in 2024.

Participants: 254 hospital staff members comprising of 60 physicians, 64 surgeons, 69 nurses, and 61 non-clinical staff.

Main outcome measures: Successful completion of the buzz wire game within five minutes and occurrence of swearing and audible noises of frustration.

Results: Of the 254 hospital staff that participated, surgeons had significantly higher success rates in completing the buzz wire game within five minutes (84%, n=54) compared with physicians (57%, n=34), nurses (54%, n=37), and non-clinical staff (51%, n=31) (P<0.001). Time-to-event analysis showed that surgeons were quicker to successfully complete the game, independent of age and gender. Surgeons exhibited the highest rate of swearing during the game (50%, n=32), followed by nurses (30%, n=21), physicians (25%, n=60), and non-clinical staff (23%, n=14) (P=0.004). Non-clinical staff showed the highest use of frustration noises (75%), followed by nurses (68%), surgeons (58%), and physicians (52%) (P=0.03).

Conclusions: Surgeons showed greater dexterity, but higher levels of swearing compared with other hospital staff roles, while nurses and non-clinical staff showed the highest rates of audible noises of frustration. The study highlights the diverse skill sets across hospital staff roles. Implementation of a surgical swear jar initiative should be considered for future fundraising events.