Thank you for participating in this survey, the purpose of which is to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. pain in the neck, shoulders and lower back) among surgeons and surgical trainees. This is part of a research to identify the problems in ergonomics and postures that surgeons and trainees encounter especially in the operating theater which may contribute to their musculoskeletal disorders. The ultimate aim would be to create solutions to these problems and create a healthier working environment for both surgeons and trainees.

Participation in this survey is voluntary, and it will take approximately 10 minutes of your time to complete. The data collected in this survey may be presented at scientific meetings and/or published in peer-reviewed journals. Your privacy will be protected and no personal identifying data will be collected or revealed in this survey.

All the information you provide in this survey will be secured using a "2-step verification" process on Google Drive which is accessible only to the Primary Investigator. Google Drive uses ISO-approved Secure Socket Layer encryption methods to secure these data on their servers. For further information please refer to "Google Apps for Work Encryption Whitepaper" and "Google for Work Security and Compliance Whitepaper" on www.google.com.

The conduct of this research has been approved by the Mater Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/16/MHS/59).

Thank you again, and your participation is very much appreciated.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at leongung@gmail.com



Leong Ung Tiong
(MBBS, MS, FRACS)