Establishment of Saudi Arabia's Plastic Surgery Interest Club: First-year Outcomes and Future Directions

The purpose of this article is to share our first-year outcomes and the overall impact of the plastic surgery interest club (PSIC) since its establishment, and to discuss the future directions that any interested club may follow and benefit from.

Methods

This cross-sectional study utilized a self-developed questionnaire that experts in the field revised. The authors recruited active PSIC members during the year 2021-2022 to assess the overall impact of the club in their various interests of the field as well as to have an overview of their opinions of this newly done initiative in Saudi Arabia. The data collection spanned from October 2021 to September 2022.

Results

The authors analyzed the responses from 66 active members with a response rate of 78%. We found various significant positive impacts of the PSIC in the community of plastic surgery in Saudi Arabia. There was a significant difference in the interest in pursuing a career in plastic surgery before and after being a member of PSIC, with a P value of 0.0001. The members became noticeably more interested in pursuing an academic career and publishing field data after enrolling in PSIC research activities.

Conclusions

The authors provided an analysis of 1-year outcomes of the PSIC in Saudi Arabia; there were many positive impacts of such an initiative in enhancing the local community of plastic and reconstructive surgery. The authors strongly encourage the adaption of such initiatives in various parts of the globe to develop the field of plastic surgery further.

Trends in publication of general surgical research in New Zealand, 1996-2015

BACKGROUND

Recent analyses of the surgical literature have suggested a general trend towards increasing numbers of published articles and an improved quality of evidence produced. The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to identify trends in the publication of general surgical research in New Zealand from 1996 to 2015.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE was searched for general surgical publications by New Zealand authors. Two investigators screened results, and a range of data were collected for included articles. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data and identify significant trends.

RESULTS

A total of 601 articles were identified, with a progressive increase in the number of publications from 1996 to 2015. Randomized trials and systematic reviews accounted for 33 and 97 publications, respectively. The median number of authors per paper rose from 3.0 to 5.0 (P < 0.001). There was an exponential increase in the publication of randomized trials (P = 0.001) and systematic reviews (P < 0.001), while publication of basic science articles remained relatively steady (P = 0.22). The median impact factor for published articles increased from 1.5 to 2.6, which was equivalent to organic growth of the journal impact factors over the 20-year period.

CONCLUSION

The quality and quantity of surgical research in New Zealand has substantially increased over the past two decades. These results reflect the successful growth of a culture of academic surgery and the ongoing support of partner organizations.

Exposure of medical students to surgery: the Nepean summer vacation surgical program

BACKGROUND

Methods to increase the exposure of junior medical students to surgery have been described and developed by academic and clinical surgical departments. Most methods have exposed students to surgery within a simulated environment. The Summer Vacation Surgical Program is a method which exposes junior medical students to the clinical environments of surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed of surveys completed by medical students after each Summer Vacation Surgical Program from 2008 to 2011. Responses were both quantitative and qualitative. All qualitative responses were read by 3 independent researchers from which category headings were generated. All data were accounted for and analyzed using these categories.

RESULTS

One hundred and seven medical students completed the Summer Vacation Surgical Program between 2008 and 2011. Fifty-five medical students completed the voluntary survey (response rate = 51.4%). The highest-scored responses were demonstrated for meeting learning needs and helping with career choices. Three category headings were generated from the qualitative responses, which consist of placement structure, learning experience, and career decision-making. From these categories it was demonstrated that respondents perceived positive learning environments and improved generic and surgical skills. Some respondents also clarified their career choices and progressed their career development.

CONCLUSIONS

An intensive exposure to the spectrum of surgical practice may assist junior medical students in their career decision-making and planning, while also providing other learning opportunities valued by students. Prospective studies are needed to assess the influence of such exposure on career choice and applications to surgical training.

In-patient operating exposure for dental undergraduates: a valuable experience?

The General Dental Council, the Association of Dental Education in Europe and the Association of British Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons have all issued syllabuses suggesting undergraduate dental students should gain experience of oral and maxillofacial in-patient operating.Aim To examine whether final year dental students in a UK dental school had observed, and were comfortable providing an explanation of, oral and maxillofacial in-patient operating.Materials and methods Students at Newcastle University's School of Dental Sciences have block allocations to in-patient operating (16 half-day sessions). A questionnaire was distributed to the whole of the final year (n = 78) at the end of these allocations examining different aspects of their exposure to in-patient operating.Results A response rate of 81% (n = 63) was achieved. Those responding reported that they had seen a wide variety of surgery. The most common procedural group that had not been observed was orthognathic surgery (n = 33, 52%). There was no correlation (p >0.05) between total number of procedural groups observed and total number of procedural groups that students were confident to explain, although there were significant correlations (p <0.05) between having observed specific operations and having the confidence to explain them. The students felt that the block allocations were beneficial (n = 46, 63%) and offered a variety of free-text reasons for this. Only a minority (n = 24, 38%) had been actively involved in the surgery they had observed, the majority of those individuals having undertaken some suturing (n = 11).Conclusions Students perceive allocations to oral and maxillofacial in-patient operating as beneficial for a variety of reasons. The relationship between having observed a procedure and the individual's perceived ability to explain it appears to be complex. It is difficult to achieve consistent exposure throughout a large year group of undergraduate students, but more targeted learning may be of benefit.