What Christmas Stress reveals about Hospital Staff's Dexterity?

In the festive spirit of Christmas, this study aimed to explore the manual dexterity and composure under pressure of different hospital staff roles, using the buzz wire game as a playful yet revealing test. As the holiday season is often a time of both joy and stress, the study aimed to shed light on how hospital staff—surgeons, physicians, nurses, and non-clinical staff—handle fine motor challenges and emotional stress, even amidst the busyness of the Christmas season.

The Tremor study was a prospective, observational, comparative study conducted over a three-week period during the 2024 holiday season at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.

A total of 254 hospital staff participated, including 60 physicians, 64 surgeons, 69 nurses, and 61 non-clinical staff. They were all asked to take part in the holiday-themed buzz wire game, where precision and composure were tested under the pressure of both the game and the holiday rush.

The study focused on two key outcomes: (1) the successful completion of the buzz wire game within five minutes and (2) the occurrence of swearing or audible frustration noises, both common responses to stress that were analyzed as signs of composure during the hectic Christmas season.

The results revealed interesting differences in dexterity and emotional responses across hospital roles, particularly during the holiday season when hospital staff often face additional pressures:

When it comes to completing the buzz wire game, surgeons were the top performers, with 84% successfully finishing the challenge within five minutes. This was significantly better than physicians (57%), nurses (54%), and non-clinical staff (51%) (P<0.001). In addition to their higher success rate, surgeons also completed the game the fastest, regardless of age or gender.

However, when it came to expressing frustration verbally, surgeons led the pack in swearing. Half of the surgeons (50%) used swear words during the game, followed by nurses (30%), physicians (25%), and non-clinical staff (23%) (P=0.004). This suggests that while surgeons demonstrated superior dexterity, they were also more prone to vocalizing their frustration.

On the other hand, non-clinical staff were the most vocal in terms of frustration noises, with 75% making audible sounds of frustration. Nurses followed at 68%, surgeons at 58%, and physicians at 52% (P=0.03). Surprisingly, despite surgeons showing the greatest dexterity, non-clinical staff had the highest levels of frustration expressed through non-verbal cues.

This comparison highlights the diverse ways in which hospital staff react under pressure and underscores the varied skill sets and stress responses across different roles.

While surgeons demonstrated superior dexterity, completing the buzz wire game with greater success and speed, they were also the most likely to swear under pressure. This highlights the skillful precision surgeons are known for but also their struggles with composure during stressful moments, such as those often found during the Christmas season in busy hospitals. Nurses and non-clinical staff exhibited higher levels of frustration through audible noises, despite less success in the task.

The study, although lighthearted, emphasizes the diverse skill sets across hospital staff and the different ways individuals manage stress, especially during the holiday season. It also suggests a fun way to raise funds for Christmas charity initiatives, perhaps with a "surgical swear jar" in place to support good causes throughout the festive period.