Doctors call for smaller surgical tools designed for the hands of female surgeons
Hospitals should stock — and manufacturers must build — tools with a variety of hand sizes in mind, says a JAMA editorial.
The lack of laparoscopic tools designed specifically for female surgeons was recently described as a “form of structural discrimination”.
The claim was made in an editorial published last week in JAMA Surgery, with the authors pointing out that devices poorly fitted to the hands have been responsible for pain, injuries and even disabilities in surgeons.
The topic is becoming more widely discussed amid the ongoing push to break down the barriers to a male-dominated preserve.
“Surgical tool manufacturers must build tools — and hospitals must buy tools — with a variety of hand sizes in mind,” Professor Christopher Robertson from Boston University Law School and colleagues wrote.
