The surgical profession is plagued with a high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. While numerous interventions have been tested over the years, surgical ergonomics education is still uncommon.

The available literature on surgical ergonomics was reviewed, and with input from surgeons, recommendations from the review were used to create pictorial reminders for open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted surgical modalities. These simple pictorial ergonomic recommendations were then assessed for practicality by residents and surgeons.

A review of the current literature on surgical ergonomics covered evidence-based ergonomic recommendations on equipment during open and laparoscopic surgery, as well as proper adjustment of the surgical robot for robot-assisted surgeries. Ergonomic operative postures for the three modalities were examined, illustrated, and assessed.

The resulting illustrations of ergonomic guidelines across surgical modalities may be employed in developing ergonomic education materials and improving the identification and mitigation of ergonomic risks in the operating room.