Resident and Fellow Performance and Supervision in Surgical Oncology Procedures

BACKGROUND

Previous research has highlighted concerns among trainees and attendings that general surgery training and fellowship are inadequately preparing trainees for practice. Providing trainees with supervision that matches their proficiency may help bridge this gap. We sought to benchmark operative performance and supervision levels among senior surgery residents (post-graduate year 4 or 5) and fellows performing general surgical oncology procedures.

STUDY DESIGN

Observational data were obtained from the Society for Improving Medical Procedural Learning (SIMPL) OR application for core general surgical oncology procedures performed at 103 unique residency and fellowship programs. Procedures were divided into breast and soft tissue, endocrine, and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB). Case evaluations completed by trainees and attendings were analyzed to benchmark trainee operative performance and level of supervision.

RESULTS

There were 4,907 resident cases and 425 fellow cases. Practice-ready performance, as assessed by trainees and faculty, was achieved by relatively low proportions of residents and fellows for breast and soft tissue cases (residents: 38%, fellows: 48%), endocrine cases (residents: 22%, fellows: 41%), and HPB cases (residents: 10%, fellows: 40%). Among cases in which trainees did achieve practice-ready performance, supervision only was provided for low proportions of cases as rated by trainees (residents: 17%, fellows: 18%) and attendings (residents: 21%, fellows 25%).

CONCLUSION

In a sample of 103 residency and fellowship programs, attending surgeons rarely provided senior residents and fellows with levels of supervision commensurate to performance for surgical oncology procedures, even for high performing trainees. These findings suggest a critical need for surgical training programs to prioritize providing greater levels of independence to trainees that have demonstrated excellent performance.

Decision-Making Confidence of Clinical Competency Committees for Entrustable Professional Activities

Importance

A competency-based assessment framework using entrustable professional activities (EPAs) was endorsed by the American Board of Surgery following a 2-year feasibility pilot study. Pilot study programs' clinical competency committees (CCCs) rated residents on EPA entrustment semiannually using this newly developed assessment tool, but factors associated with their decision-making are not yet known.

Objective

To identify factors associated with variation in decision-making confidence of CCCs in EPA summative entrustment decisions.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study used deidentified data from the EPA Pilot Study, with participating sites at 28 general surgery residency programs, prospectively collected from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020. Data were analyzed from September 27, 2022, to February 15, 2023.

Exposure

Microassessments of resident entrustment for pilot EPAs (gallbladder disease, inguinal hernia, right lower quadrant pain, trauma, and consultation) collected within the course of routine clinical care across four 6-month study cycles. Summative entrustment ratings were then determined by program CCCs for each study cycle.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was CCC decision-making confidence rating (high, moderate, slight, or no confidence) for summative entrustment decisions, with a secondary outcome of number of EPA microassessments received per summative entrustment decision. Bivariate tests and mixed-effects regression modeling were used to evaluate factors associated with CCC confidence.

Results

Among 565 residents receiving at least 1 EPA microassessment, 1765 summative entrustment decisions were reported. Overall, 72.5% (1279 of 1765) of summative entrustment decisions were made with moderate or high confidence. Confidence ratings increased with increasing mean number of EPA microassessments, with 1.7 (95% CI, 1.4-2.0) at no confidence, 1.9 (95% CI, 1.7-2.1) at slight confidence, 2.9 (95% CI, 2.6-3.2) at moderate confidence, and 4.1 (95% CI, 3.8-4.4) at high confidence. Increasing number of EPA microassessments was associated with increased likelihood of higher CCC confidence for all except 1 EPA phase after controlling for program effects (odds ratio range: 1.21 [95% CI, 1.07-1.37] for intraoperative EPA-4 to 2.93 [95% CI, 1.64-5.85] for postoperative EPA-2); for preoperative EPA-3, there was no association.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study, the CCC confidence in EPA summative entrustment decisions increased as the number of EPA microassessments increased, and CCCs endorsed moderate to high confidence in most entrustment decisions. These findings provide early validity evidence for this novel assessment framework and may inform program practices as EPAs are implemented nationally.

Operating Room Supply Cost and Value of Care after Implementing a Sustainable Quality Intervention

BACKGROUND

Variability in operating room supply cost is a modifiable cause of suboptimal resource use and low value of care (outcomes vs cost). This study describes implementation of a quality improvement intervention to decrease operating room supply costs.

STUDY DESIGN

An automated electronic health record data pipeline harmonized operating room supply cost data with patient and case characteristics and outcomes. For inpatient procedures, predicted mortality and length of stay were used to calculate observed-to-expected ratios and value of care using validated equations. For commonly performed (1 or more per week) procedures, the pipeline generated figures illustrating individual surgeon performance vs peers, costs for each surgeon performing each case type, and control charts identifying out-of-control cases and surgeons with more than 90th percentile costs, which were shared with surgeons and division chiefs alongside guidance for modifying case-specific supply instructions to operating room nurses and technicians.

RESULTS

Preintervention control (1,064 cases for 7 months) and postintervention (307 cases for 2 months) cohorts had similar baseline characteristics across all 16 commonly performed procedures. Median costs per case were lower in the intervention cohort ($811 [$525 to $1,367] vs controls: $1,080 [$603 to $1,574], p < 0.001), as was the incidence of out-of-control cases (19 (6.2%) vs 110 (10.3%), p = 0.03). Duration of surgery, length of stay, discharge disposition, and 30-day mortality and readmission rates were similar between cohorts. Value of care was higher in the intervention cohort (1.1 [0.1 to 1.5] vs 1.0 [0.2 to 1.4], p = 0.04). Pipeline runtime was 16:07.

CONCLUSIONS

An automated, sustainable quality improvement intervention was associated with decreased operating room supply costs and increased value of care.

Validity of Entrustable Professional Activities in a National Sample of General Surgery Residency Programs

BACKGROUND

The American Board of Surgery has endorsed competency-based education as vital to the assessment of surgical training. From 2018 to 2020, a national pilot study was conducted at 28 general surgery programs to evaluate feasibility of implementing entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for 5 common general surgical conditions. ACGME core competency Milestones were also rated for each resident by program clinical competency committees. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of general surgery EPAs compared with Milestones.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospectively collected, de-identified EPA Pilot Study data were analyzed. EPAs studied were EPA-1 (gallbladder), EPA-2 (inguinal hernia), EPA-3 (right lower quadrant pain), EPA-4 (trauma), and EPA-5 (consult). Variables abstracted included levels of EPA entrustment (1 to 5) and corresponding ACGME Milestone subcompetency ratings (1 to 5) for the same study cycle. Spearman's correlations were used to evaluate the relationship between summative EPA scores and corresponding Milestone ratings.

RESULTS

A total of 493 unique residents received a summative entrustment decision. EPA summative entrustment scores had moderate-to-strong positive correlation with mapped Milestone subcompetencies, with median rho value of 0.703. Among operation-focused EPAs, median rho values were similar between EPA-1 (0.688) and EPA-2 (0.661), but higher for EPA-3 (0.833). EPA-4 showed a strong positive correlation with diagnosis and communication competencies (0.724), whereas EPA-5, mapped to the most Milestone subcompetencies, had the lowest median rho value (0.455).

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate-to-strong positive correlation was noted between EPAs and patient care, medical knowledge, and communication Milestones. These findings support the validity of EPAs in general surgery and suggest that EPA assessments can be used to inform Milestone ratings by clinical competency committees.

Implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities in General Surgery: Results of a National Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE

The ongoing complexity of general surgery training has led to an increased focus on ensuring the competence of graduating residents. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are units of professional practice that provide an assessment framework to drive competency-based education. The American Board of Surgery convened a group from the American College of Surgeons, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Surgery Review Committee, and Association of Program Directors in Surgery to develop and implement EPAs in a pilot group of residency programs across the country. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility and utility of EPAs in general surgery resident training.

METHODS

5 EPAs were chosen based on the most common procedures reported in ACGME case logs and by practicing general surgeons (right lower quadrant pain, biliary disease, inguinal hernia), along with common activities covering additional ACGME milestones (performing a consult, care of a trauma patient). Levels of entrustment assigned (1 to 5) were observation only, direct supervision, indirect supervision, unsupervised, and teaching others. Participating in site recruitment and faculty development occurred from 2017 to 2018. EPA implementation at individual residency programs began on July 1, 2018, and was completed on June 30, 2020. Each site was assigned 2 EPAs to implement and collected EPA microassessments on residents for those EPAs. The site clinical competency committees (CCC) used these microassessments to make summative entrustment decisions. Data submitted to the independent deidentified data repository every 6 months included the number of microassessments collected per resident per EPA and CCC summative entrustment decisions.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight sites were selected to participate in the program and represented geographic and size variability, community, and university-based programs. Over the course of the 2-year pilot programs reported on 14 to 180 residents. Overall, 6,272 formative microassessments were collected (range, 0 to 1144 per site). Each resident had between 0 and 184 microassessments. The mean number of microassessments per resident was 5.6 (SD = 13.4) with a median of 1 [interquartile range (IQR) = 6]. There were 1,763 summative entrustment ratings assigned to 497 unique residents. The average number of observations for entrustment was 3.24 (SD 3.61) with a median of 2 (IQR 3). In general, PGY1 residents were entrusted at the level of direct supervision and PGY5 residents were entrusted at unsupervised practice or teaching others. For each EPA other than the consult EPA, the degree of entrustment reported by the CCC increased by resident level.

CONCLUSIONS

These data provide evidence that widespread implementation of EPAs across general surgery programs is possible, but variable. They provide meaningful data that graduating chief residents are entrusted by their faculty to perform without supervision for several common general surgical procedures and highlight areas to target for the successful widespread implementation of EPAs.

Resource use for cholecystectomy with versus without cholangiography: A multicenter, propensity-matched analysis

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative cholangiography may allow for earlier identification of common bile duct injury and choledocholithiasis. The role of intraoperative cholangiography in decreasing resource use related to biliary pathology remains unclear. This study tests the null hypothesis that there is no difference in resource use for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with versus without intraoperative cholangiography.

METHODS

This retrospective, longitudinal cohort study included 3,151 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at 3 university hospitals. To minimize differences in baseline characteristics while maintaining adequate statistical power, propensity scores were used to match 830 patients who underwent intraoperative cholangiography at surgeon discretion and 795 patients who underwent cholecystectomy without intraoperative cholangiography. Primary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, the interval between surgery and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, and total direct costs.

RESULTS

In the propensity-matched analysis, the intraoperative cholangiography and no intraoperative cholangiography cohorts had similar age, comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores, and total/direct bilirubin ratios. The intraoperative cholangiography cohort had a lower postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (2.4% vs 4.3%; P = .04), a shorter interval between cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (2.5 [1.0-17.8] vs 4.5 [2.0-9.5] days; P = .04), and shorter length of stay (0.3 [0.2-1.5] vs 1.4 [0.3-3.2] days; P < .001). Patients undergoing intraoperative cholangiography had lower total direct costs ($4.0K [3.6K-5.4K] vs $8.1K [4.9K-13.0K]; P < .001). There were no differences in 30-day or 1-year mortality among the cohorts.

CONCLUSION

Compared with laparoscopic cholecystectomy without intraoperative cholangiography, cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiography was associated with decreased resource use, which was primarily attributable to decreased incidence and the earlier timing of postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography.

A narrative review of ergonomic problems, principles, and potential solutions in surgical operations

BACKGROUND

Ergonomic development and awareness are critical to the long-term health and well-being of surgeons. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders affect an overwhelming majority of surgeons, and various operative modalities (open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery) differentially affect the musculoskeletal system. Previous reviews have addressed various aspects of surgical ergonomic history or methods of ergonomic assessment, but the purpose of this study is to synthesize ergonomic analysis by surgical modality while discussing future directions of the field based on current perioperative interventions.

METHODS

pubmed was queried for "ergonomics," "work-related musculoskeletal disorders," and "surgery," which returned 124 results. From the 122 English-language papers, a further search was conducted via the articles' sources for relevant literature.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine sources were ultimately included. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders culminate in detrimental effects ranging from chronic pain and paresthesias to reduced operative time and consideration for early retirement. Underreporting symptoms and a lack of awareness of proper ergonomic principles substantially hinder the widespread utilization of ergonomic techniques in the operating room, reducing the quality of life and career longevity. Therapeutic interventions exist at some institutions but require further research and development for necessary widespread implementation.

CONCLUSION

Awareness of proper ergonomic principles and the detrimental effects of musculoskeletal disorders is the first step in protecting against this universal problem. Implementing ergonomic practices in the operating room is at a crossroads, and incorporating these principles into everyday life must be a priority for all surgeons.

A simulation curriculum for laparoscopic common bile duct exploration, balloon sphincterotomy, and endobiliary stenting: Associations with resident performance and autonomy in the operating room

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is safe and effective for managing choledocholithiasis, but laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is rarely performed, which threatens surgical trainee proficiency. This study tests the hypothesis that prior operative or simulation experience with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is associated with greater resident operative performance and autonomy without adversely affecting patient outcomes.

METHODS

This longitudinal cohort study included 33 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in cases involving postgraduate years 3, 4, and 5 general surgery residents at a single institution during the implementation of a laparoscopic common bile duct exploration simulation curriculum. For each of the 33 cases, resident performance and autonomy were rated by residents and attendings, the resident's prior operative and simulation experience were recorded, and patient outcomes were ascertained from electronic health records for comparison among 3 cohorts: prior operative experience, prior simulation experience, and no prior experience.

RESULTS

Operative approach was similar among cohorts. Overall morbidity was 6.1% and similar across cohorts. The operative performance scores were higher in prior experience cohorts according to both residents (3.0 [2.8-3.0] vs 2.0 [2.0-3.0]; P = .01) and attendings (3.0 [3.0-4.0]; P < .001). The autonomy scores were higher in prior experience cohorts according to both residents (2.0 [2.0-3.0] vs 2.0 [2.0-2.0]; P = .005) and attendings (2.5 [2.0-3.0] vs 2.0 [1.0-2.0]; P = .001). Prior simulation and prior operative experience had similar associations with performance and autonomy.

CONCLUSION

Simulation experience with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration was associated with greater resident operative performance and autonomy, with effects that mimic prior operative experience. This illustrates the potential for simulation-based training to improve resident operative performance and autonomy for laparoscopic common bile duct exploration.

Transfusion trigger after operations in high cardiac risk patients (TOP) trial protocol. Protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled transfusion strategy trial

BACKGROUND

There is substantial uncertainty regarding the effects of restrictive postoperative transfusion among patients who have underlying cardiovascular disease. The TOP Trial's objective is to compare adverse outcomes between liberal and restrictive transfusion strategies in patients undergoing vascular and general surgery operations, and with a high risk of postoperative cardiac events.

METHODS

A two-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled superiority trial will be used across 15 Veterans Affairs hospitals with expected enrollment of 1520 participants. Postoperative transfusions in the liberal arm commence when Hb is <10 g/ dL and continue until Hb is greater than or equal to 10 g/dL. In the restrictive arm, transfusions begin when Hb is <7 g/dL and continue until Hb is greater than or equal to 7 g/dL. Study duration is estimated to be 5 years including a 3-month start-up period and 4 years of recruitment. Each randomized participant will be followed for 90 days after randomization with a mortality assessment at 1 year.

RESULTS

The primary outcome is a composite endpoint of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), coronary revascularization, acute renal failure, or stroke occurring up to 90-days after randomization. Events rates will be compared between restrictive and liberal transfusion groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The TOP Trial is uniquely positioned to provide high quality evidence comparing transfusion strategies among patients with high cardiac risk. Results will clarify the effect of postoperative transfusion strategies on adverse outcomes and inform postoperative management algorithms.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

http://clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03229941.

Resident Operative Autonomy and Attending Verbal Feedback Differ by Resident and Attending Gender

Objectives

This study tests the null hypotheses that overall sentiment and gendered words in verbal feedback and resident operative autonomy relative to performance are similar for female and male residents.

Background

Female and male surgical residents may experience training differently, affecting the quality of learning and graduated autonomy.

Methods

A longitudinal, observational study using a Society for Improving Medical Professional Learning collaborative dataset describing resident and attending evaluations of resident operative performance and autonomy and recordings of verbal feedback from attendings from surgical procedures performed at 54 US general surgery residency training programs from 2016 to 2021. Overall sentiment, adjectives, and gendered words in verbal feedback were quantified by natural language processing. Resident operative autonomy and performance, as evaluated by attendings, were reported on 5-point ordinal scales. Performance-adjusted autonomy was calculated as autonomy minus performance.

Results

The final dataset included objective assessments and dictated feedback for 2683 surgical procedures. Sentiment scores were higher for female residents (95 [interquartile range (IQR), 4-100] vs 86 [IQR 2-100]; P < 0.001). Gendered words were present in a greater proportion of dictations for female residents (29% vs 25%; P = 0.04) due to male attendings disproportionately using male-associated words in feedback for female residents (28% vs 23%; P = 0.01). Overall, attendings reported that male residents received greater performance-adjusted autonomy compared with female residents (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Sentiment and gendered words in verbal feedback and performance-adjusted operative autonomy differed for female and male general surgery residents. These findings suggest a need to ensure that trainees are given appropriate and equitable operative autonomy and feedback.

Surgical resident experience with common bile duct exploration and assessment of performance and autonomy with formative feedback

BACKGROUND

Common bile duct exploration (CBDE) is safe and effective for managing choledocholithiasis, but most US general surgeons have limited experience with CBDE and are uncomfortable performing this procedure in practice. Surgical trainee exposure to CBDE is limited, and their learning curve for achieving autonomous, practice-ready performance has not been previously described. This study tests the hypothesis that receipt of one or more prior CBDE operative performance assessments, combined with formative feedback, is associated with greater resident operative performance and autonomy.

METHODS

Resident and attending assessments of resident operative performance and autonomy were obtained for 189 laparoscopic or open CBDEs performed at 28 institutions. Performance and autonomy were graded along validated ordinal scales. Cases in which the resident had one or more prior CBDE case evaluations (n = 48) were compared with cases in which the resident had no prior evaluations (n = 141).

RESULTS

Compared with cases in which the resident had no prior CBDE case evaluations, cases with a prior evaluation had greater proportions of practice-ready or exceptional performance ratings according to both residents (27% vs. 11%, p = .009) and attendings (58% vs. 19%, p < .001) and had greater proportions of passive help or supervision only autonomy ratings according to both residents (17% vs. 4%, p = .009) and attendings (69% vs. 32%, p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Residents with at least one prior CBDE evaluation and formative feedback demonstrated better operative performance and received greater autonomy than residents without prior evaluations, underscoring the propensity of feedback to help residents achieve autonomous, practice-ready performance for rare operations.

Routine Radiologic Assessment for Anastomotic Leak Is Not Necessary in Asymptomatic Patients After Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Anastomotic leaks (AL) are a major source of post-esophagectomy morbidity and patients are often initially asymptomatic. Debate exists on timing and utility of imaging to detect AL post-esophagectomy. We sought to evaluate the efficacy and timing of radiographic AL evaluation in esophageal cancer patients post-esophagectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective database of esophageal cancer patients who underwent esophagectomy at a single institution from 2004 to 2020 was used to determine the utilization, timing, and sensitivity of radiologic testing for AL post-esophagectomy.

RESULTS

Seventy-six patients were identified of which 37 (49%) had a cervical anastomosis. Sixty-four (84%) underwent 71 "asymptomatic radiographic leak tests" (ARLT), 7 of which had 2 different tests, including: 41 fluoroscopic esophagrams (58%), 18 CT-esophagrams (25%), and 12 upper GI studies (17%). Seventeen patients (22%) developed clinical signs of AL (hemodynamic instability, leukocytosis) and underwent "symptomatic radiographic leak tests" (SRLT) with fluoroscopic esophagram (n = 9, 12%), CT-esophagram (n = 7, 9%), or upper GI study (n = 1, 1%). ARLT and SRLT were positive in 2/64 (3%) and 17/17 (100%) patients, respectively, for 19 total ALs (25%). Among the 17 SRLT( +) patients, 1 was also ARLT( +), 13 were initially ARLT( -), and 3 were not evaluated by ARLT. The median postoperative day for ARLT and SRLT was 4.0 (IQR 3.0-5.5) and 9.0 days (IQR 6.0-13.0), respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.005). The sensitivity and specificity of ARLT for detecting AL were 13.3% and 100.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the low ARLT sensitivity, routine use of imaging to detect asymptomatic ALs post-esophagectomy may be limited. Symptomatic ALs were often present in a delayed fashion, even after initial negative imaging.

Performance Improvement With Implementation of a Surgical Skills Curriculum

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of an intern surgical skills curriculum involving a boot camp for core open and laparoscopic skills, self-guided practice with positive and negative incentives, and semiannual performance evaluations.

DESIGN

Longitudinal cohort study.

SETTING

Academic tertiary care center.

PARTICIPANTS

Intervention group (n = 15): residents who completed the intern surgical skills curriculum and had performance evaluations in fall of intern year, spring of intern year, and fall of second year. Control group (n = 8): second-year residents who were 1 year ahead of the intervention group in the same residency program, did not participate in the curriculum, and had performance evaluations in fall of second year.

RESULTS

In fall of second year of residency, the intervention group had better performance (presented as median values with interquartile ranges) than the control group on one-hand ties (left hand: 9.1 [6.3-10.1] vs 14.6 [13.5-15.4] seconds, p = 0.007; right hand: 8.7 [8.5-9.6] vs 11.5 [9.9-16.8] seconds, p = 0.039). The intervention group also had better performance on all open suturing skills, including mattress suturing (vertical: 33.4 [30.0-40.0] vs 55.8 [50.0-67.6] seconds, p = 0.001; horizontal: 28.7 [27.3-39.9] vs 52.7 [40.7-57.8] seconds, p = 0.003), and a water-filled glove clamp, divide, and ligate task (28.0 [25.0-31.0] vs 59.1 [53.0-93.0] seconds, p < 0.001). Finally, the intervention group had better performance on all laparoscopic skills, including peg transfer (66.0 [59.0-82.0] vs 95.2 [87.5-101.5] seconds, p = 0.018), circle cut (82.0 [69.0-124.0] seconds vs 191.8 [155.5-231.5] seconds, p = 0.002), and intracorporeal suturing (195.0 [117.0-200.0] seconds vs 359.5 [269.0-450.0] seconds, p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of a comprehensive surgical skills curriculum was associated with improved performance on core open and laparoscopic skills. Further research is needed to understand and optimize motivational factors for deliberate practice and surgical skill acquisition.

Objective predictors of intern performance

BACKGROUND

Residency programs select medical students for interviews and employment using metrics such as the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, grade-point average (GPA), and class rank/quartile. It is unclear whether these metrics predict performance as an intern. This study tested the hypothesis that performance on these metrics would predict intern performance.

METHODS

This single institution, retrospective cohort analysis included 244 graduates from four classes (2015-2018) who completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) certified internship and were evaluated by program directors (PDs) at the end of the year. PDs provided a global assessment rating and ratings addressing ACGME competencies (response rate = 47%) with five response options: excellent = 5, very good = 4, acceptable = 3, marginal = 2, unacceptable = 1. PDs also classified interns as outstanding = 4, above average = 3, average = 2, and below average = 1 relative to other interns from the same residency program. Mean USMLE scores (Step 1 and Step 2CK), third-year GPA, class rank, and core competency ratings were compared using Welch's ANOVA and follow-up pairwise t-tests.

RESULTS

Better performance on PD evaluations at the end of intern year was associated with higher USMLE Step 1 (p = 0.006), Step 2CK (p = 0.030), medical school GPA (p = 0.020) and class rank (p = 0.016). Interns rated as average had lower USMLE scores, GPA, and class rank than those rated as above average or outstanding; there were no significant differences between above average and outstanding interns. Higher rating in each of the ACGME core competencies was associated with better intern performance (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Better performance as an intern was associated with higher USMLE scores, medical school GPA and class rank. When USMLE Step 1 reporting changes from numeric scores to pass/fail, residency programs can use other metrics to select medical students for interviews and employment.

Prevalence and extent of industry support for program directors of surgical fellowships in the United States

BACKGROUND

Fellowship program directors have a considerable influence on the future practice patterns of their trainees. Multiple studies have demonstrated that industry can also exert substantial influence on the practice patterns of physicians as a whole. The purpose of this study is to quantify industry support of fellowship program directors across surgical subspecialties and to assess the prevalence of this support within specific subspecialties.

METHODS

Fellowship program directors for acute care, breast, burn, cardio-thoracic, critical care, colon and rectal, endocrine, hepato-pancreato-biliary, minimally invasive, plastic, oncologic, pediatric, and vascular surgery for 2017 were identified using a previously described database. The Open Payments Database for 2017 was queried and data regarding general payments, research, associated research payments, and ownership were obtained. The national mean and median payouts to nonfellowship program director surgeons were used to determine subspecialties with substantial industry support.

RESULTS

Five hundred and seventy-six fellowship program directors were identified. Of these, 77% of the fellowship program directors had a presence on the Open Payments Database. The subspecialties with the most fellowship program directors receiving any industry payment, regardless of amount, included vascular (93.5%), cardio-thoracic (92.8%), minimally invasive surgery (90.5%), plastics (85.3%), and colon and rectal (81.0%). The subspecialty with the greatest mean payment was minimally invasive surgery (21,175 US dollars); the greatest median payment was vascular (1,871 US dollars). The 3 most common types of payments were for general compensation (31.4%), consulting fees (28.7%), and travel and lodging (14.7%). Vascular surgery had the greatest percentage of fellowship program directors receiving research payments (48%). The greatest amount paid to any individual fellowship program director was 382,368 US dollars. Excluding outliers, fellowship program directors received substantially more payments than those received on average by general surgeons.

CONCLUSION

The majority of fellowship program directors receive some industry support. Most payments are for compensation for noncontinuing medical education related services and consulting fees. Certain specialties were more likely to have industry payments than others. Overall, only a minority of fellowship program directors received research support from industry. We advocate for transparent discussions between fellowship program directors and their trainees to help foster healthy academic-industry collaborations.

Proton Pump Inhibitor Use After Hiatal Hernia Repair: Inhibitor of Recurrent Symptoms and Potential Revisional Surgery

BACKGROUND

Hiatal hernia recurrence after hiatal hernia repair (HHR) is often underdiagnosed and underreported but may present with recurrent gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. Because of their availability, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is common and may mask patients who would benefit from revisional surgery, which has been shown to improve symptoms and quality of life.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate recurrence patterns of patients who underwent HHR, specifically for the indication of GERD, from 2007 to 2015 at a single Veterans Administration Medical Center. Clinicopathologic parameters were reviewed for association with hiatal hernia recurrence, including postoperative PPI use.

RESULTS

Sixty-four patients were identified with a median follow-up time of 57.8 mo. Thirty-eight patients developed an anatomic recurrence, which did not demonstrate any associated factors on univariate analysis. Seventy percent of patients remained or were restarted on PPI after their initial surgery. For patients with a documented recurrence, the median time to start a PPI was 224 d, but the time to identify recurrence on imaging or endoscopy was 712.5 d. Eleven (39.3%) patients had a reintervention for anatomic recurrence, of which all had developed recurrent symptoms of GERD.

CONCLUSIONS

Most patients who developed recurrent hiatal hernia were restarted on PPI without workup for their symptoms. The time of initiation of PPI was much earlier than the time of identification of a recurrent hiatal hernia. The use of PPIs in patients whom have undergone HHR may delay proper workup to identify recurrent hiatal hernia amenable to surgical repair and should be reserved until patients develop recurrent symptoms and have at least begun a diagnostic workup to rule out an anatomic cause for the recurrent symptoms.

Underrepresented Minorities in General Surgery Residency: Analysis of Interviewed Applicants, Residents, and Core Teaching Faculty

BACKGROUND

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires diversity in residency. The self-identified race/ethnicities of general surgery applicants, residents, and core teaching faculty were assessed to evaluate underrepresented minority (URM) representation in surgery residency programs and to determine the impact of URM faculty and residents on URM applicants' selection for interview or match.

STUDY DESIGN

Data from the 2018 application cycle were collated for 10 general surgery programs. Applicants without a self-identified race/ethnicity were excluded. URMs were defined as those identifying as black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests and a multivariate model.

RESULTS

Ten surgery residency programs received 9,143 applications from 3,067 unique applicants. Applications from white, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, black/African American, and American Indian applicants constituted 66%, 19%, 8%, 7% and 1%, respectively, of those applications selected to interview and 66%, 13%, 11%, 8%, and 2%, respectively, of applications resulting in a match. Among programs' 272 core faculty and 318 current residents, 10% and 21%, respectively, were identified as URMs. As faculty diversity increased, there was no difference in selection to interview for URM (odds ratio [OR] 0.83; 95% CI 0.54 to 1.28, per 10% increase in faculty diversity) or non-URM applicants (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.81). Similarly, greater URM representation among current residents did not affect the likelihood of being selected for an interview for URM (OR 1.20; 95%CI 0.90 to 1.61) vs non-URM applicants (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.45). Current resident and faculty URM representation was correlated (r = 0.8; p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Programs with a greater proportion of URM core faculty or residents did not select a greater proportion of URM applicants for interview. However, core faculty and resident racial diversity were correlated. Recruitment of racially/ethnically diverse trainees and faculty will require ongoing analysis to develop effective recruitment strategies.

Associations Between National Board Exam Performance and Residency Program Emphasis on Patient Safety and Interprofessional Teamwork

OBJECTIVE

Several aspects of medical training may contribute to the ultimate goal of producing excellent physicians whose patients will have the best possible outcomes. However, the relative importance of education, evaluation and feedback, duty hours, practice structure, and program culture in achieving this goal is unclear. This study assessed associations among in-training exam performance, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Resident Survey responses, and American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) national board exam performance.

METHODS

Residency training programs at a university teaching hospital were classified as having 5-year first-time ABMS pass rates above (n=12) or below (n=3) the national average for their specialty. These groups were compared by ACGME Resident Survey data and in-training exam performance.

RESULTS

Surveys were collected from 484/543 eligible residents (89%), including 177 surveys from programs with below-average board pass rates and 307 surveys from programs with aboveaverage board pass rates. In-training exam performance was similar between groups. Aboveaverage programs had stronger agreement with statements that their culture reinforced patient safety (4.72 vs. 4.30, p=0.006) and that information was not lost during transitions of care (4.14 vs. 3.63, p=0.001). Although the occurrence of interprofessional teamwork was similar between groups, above-average programs had stronger agreement with the statement that interprofessional teamwork was effective (4.60 vs. 4.17, p=0.003).

CONCLUSION

Residency programs emphasizing patient safety and effective interprofessional teamwork had above-average first-time national board pass rates.

Underrepresented Minorities are Underrepresented Among General Surgery Applicants Selected to Interview

OBJECTIVE

Diversity is an ill-defined entity in general surgery training. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently proposed new common program requirements including verbiage requiring diversity in residency. "Recruiting" for diversity can be challenging within the constraints of geographic preference, type of program, and applicant qualifications. In addition, the Match process adds further uncertainty. We sought to study the self-identified racial/ethnic distribution of general surgery applicants to better ascertain the characteristics of underrepresented minorities (URM) within the general surgery applicant pool.

DESIGN

Program-specific data from the Electronic Residency Application Service was collated for the 2018 medical student application cycle. Data were abstracted for all participating programs' applicants and those selected to interview. Applicants who did not enter a self-identified race/ethnicity were excluded from analysis. URM were defined as those identifying as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, American Indian/Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan. Appropriate statistical analyses were accomplished.

SETTING

Ten general surgery residency programs-5 independent programs and 5 university programs.

PARTICIPANTS

Residency applicants to the participating general surgery residency programs.

RESULTS

Ten surgery residency programs received 10,312 applications from 3192 unique applicants. Seven hundred and seventy-eight applications did not include a self-identified race/ethnicity and were excluded from analysis. The racial/ethnic makeup of applicants in this study cohort was similar to that from 2017 to 2018 Electronic Residency Application Service data of 4262 total applicants to categorical general surgery. Programs received a median of 1085 (range: 485-1264) applications each and altogether selected 617 unique applicants for interviews. Overall, 2148 applicants graduated from US medical schools, and of those, 595 (28%) were offered interviews. The mean age of applicants was 28.8 ± 3.8 years and 1316 (41%) were female. Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, Black, and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan applicants constituted 12%, 8%, and 1% of total applicants, but only 8%, 6%, and 1% of those selected for interview. Overall, 29% of applicants had United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores ≤220; 37 (6%) of those selected for interviews had a USMLE Step 1 score of ≤220. A higher proportion of URM applicants had USMLE scores ≤220 compared to White and Asian applicants. Non-white self-identification was a significant independent predictor of a lower likelihood of interview selection. Female gender, USMLE Step 1 score >220, and graduating from a US medical school were associated with an increased likelihood of being selected to interview.

CONCLUSIONS

URM applicants represented a disproportionately smaller percentage of applicants selected for interview. USMLE Step 1 scores were lower among the URM applicants. Training programs that use discreet USMLE cutoffs are likely excluding URM at a higher rate than their non-URM applicants. Attempts to recruit racially/ethnically diverse trainees should include program-level analysis to determine disparities and a focused strategy to interview applicants who might be overlooked by conventional screening tools.

Gender differences among surgical fellowship program directors

BACKGROUND

Although women are increasingly represented in American surgery, data regarding sex and academic rank of the leadership of fellowship programs are lacking.

METHODS

Demographics and academic ranks for fellowship program directors were analyzed for 811 surgery fellowship programs across 14 specialties. Associations between academic rank and sex were assessed using a χ² independence test. Correlation between subspecialty compensation and percentage of female fellowship program directors was assessed using Pearson r.

RESULTS

Women represented 18% of all fellowship program directors. Eighteen percent of fellowship program directors were assistant professors (25% women vs 17% men, P = .049), 36% were associate professors (39% women vs 35% men, P = .379), and 46% were full professors (36% women vs 48% men, P = .018). The percentage of women program directors was greatest in breast surgery (65%) and least in minimally invasive surgery (6%). There was a negative correlation between subspecialty compensation and percentage of female fellowship program directors (r = -0.62, P = .04).

CONCLUSION

Women are underrepresented among surgery fellowship program directors. Female fellowship program directors had lesser academic ranks compared with males. It remains unclear whether women surgeons achieve program director appointments at lesser academic ranks or if promotion among fellowship program directors is influenced by sex.

Gender Diversity in General Surgery Residency Leadership

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the proportion and characteristics of women who serve in general surgery program director (PD) and associate program director (APD) positions in the United States.

DESIGN

General surgery programs (n = 276) and directors were identified using the Association for Program Directors in Surgery website; information was cross-referenced with American Medical Association FREIDA and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education databases, current to July 1, 2017. Each program's website was accessed to determine the gender and academic ranking of faculty.

RESULTS

Results reveal a preponderance of men in PD and APD positions. Women accounted for 18.4% (n = 51) of the 276 PD positions, with more women in APD positions (29.6%). There was no correlation between gender of PD and the corresponding APD, (χ2 = 0.68, p = 0.41; Phi coefficient = -0.0695). Of those with academic appointments, men who were PDs were more likely to be full professors when compared to women PDs (38.5% vs 24.1%, respectively). The median number of days since appointment to PD was similar in both groups (1461 days for men vs 1377 for women, p = 0.18), although more men have held PD positions longer. Programs with a higher proportion of women faculty were more likely to have a woman PD (p = 0.0397), but not those with more women residents (p = 0.225) or a woman Department Chair (p = 0.56).

CONCLUSIONS

Among general surgery program directorship, men continue to hold more positions of educational leadership, although the trend appears to be shifting toward a more equal balance, particularly in those programs with proportionately more women faculty. This discrepancy may be due to academic rank or length of tenure. As more women hold academic positions in the field of general surgery, an increase in the representation of this group in leadership is anticipated. Although senior leadership (PD) positions remain disproportionately held by men, APD positions are filled by a greater percentage of women than academic surgical faculty, although the absolute percentage remains less than 50%. Educational leadership may be a viable path to academic leadership for both women and men.

Packed red blood cell donor age affects overall survival in transfused patients undergoing hepatectomy for non-hepatocellular malignancy

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing hepatectomy often require packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion, which has been associated with worse oncologic outcomes. However, limited data exist regarding the impact of PRBC donor factors. We hypothesized that PRBC donor age impacts survival after hepatectomy for non-hepatocellular malignancies.

METHODS

Patients who underwent hepatectomy for non-hepatocellular malignancy from 2005 to 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Impact of clinicopathologic and PRBC factors on oncologic outcomes were assessed.

RESULTS

Of 149 identified patients, 76 received a perioperative PRBC transfusion (median 2 units). Transfusion was associated with increased median length of stay (8 vs. 6 days; p < 0.01) and median operative blood loss (700 vs. 350 mL; p < 0.01) versus non-transfused, respectively. In transfused patients, receipt of PRBC from older donors compared to younger resulted in decreased RFS (0.94 vs. 2.63 years, respectively; p = 0.02) and OS (1.94 vs. 3.44 years, respectively; p = 0.6). The PRBC donor age was an independent predictor of decreased recurrence free survival on multivariate analysis (HR 2.5, p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients undergoing hepatectomy for non-hepatocellular malignancies and receiving perioperative transfusion, PRBC donor age may impact survival and warrants further investigation.