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Surgical Activity of First-Year Canadian Neurosurgical Residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2016

Aria Fallah*
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto
Shanil Ebrahim
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto
Faizal Haji
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Western Ontario, London, ON
Christopher Gillis
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
Fady Girgis
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
Kathryn Howe
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto
George M. Ibrahim
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto
Julia Radic
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Mehdi Shahideh
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto
M. Christopher Wallace
Affiliation:
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto
*
Division of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Suite 1503, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
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Abstract:

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Introduction:

Surgical activity is probably the most important component of surgical training. During the first year of surgical residency, there is an early opportunity for the development of surgical skills, before disparities between the skill sets of residents increase in future years. It is likely that surgical skill is related to operative volumes. There are no published guidelines that quantify the number of surgical cases required to achieve surgical competency. The aim of this study was to describe the current trends in surgical activity in a recent cohort of first-year Canadian neurosurgical trainees.

Methods:

This study utilized retrospective database review and survey methodology to describe the current state of surgical training for first-year neurosurgical trainees. A committee of five residents designed this survey in an effort to capture factors that may influence the operative activity of trainees.

Results:

Nine out of a cohort of 20 first-year Canadian neurosurgical trainees that began training in July of 2008 participated in the study. The median number of cases completed by a resident during the initial three month neurosurgical rotation was 66, within which the trainee was identified as the primary surgeon in 12 cases. Intracranial hemorrhage and cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedures were the most common operations to have the trainee as primary surgeon.

Conclusion:

Based on this pilot study, it appears that the operative activity of Canadian first-year residents is at least equivalent to the residents of other studied training systems with respect to volume and diversity of surgical activity.

Résumé

RésuméContexte:

L'activité chirurgicale est probablement la composante la plus importante de la formation en chirurgie. La première année de résidence en chirurgie constitue une occasion de développer des habiletés chirurgicales tôt au cours de la formation, avant que les disparités entre les habiletés des résidents n'augmentent avec les années. Il est vraisemblable que les habiletés chirurgicales sont liées au volume chirurgical. Il n'existe pas de lignes directrices publiées qui quantifient le nombre de cas chirurgicaux requis pour parvenir à la compétence en chirurgie. Le but de cette étude était de décrire les tendances actuelles concernant l'activité chirurgicale dans une cohorte récente de résidents canadiens en neurochirurgie au cours de leur première année de formation.

Méthodologie:

Nous avons procédé à une revue rétrospective d'une base de données et à une enquête pour décrire la situation actuelle de la formation en chirurgie chez les résidents de première année en neurochirurgie. Un comité composé de cinq résidents a conçu cette enquête afin d'identifier les facteurs qui pourraient influencer l'activité chirurgicale des résidents.

Résultats:

Neuf de 20 résidents canadiens en neurochirurgie qui ont commencé leur formation en juillet 2008 ont participé à cette étude. Le nombre médian de cas complétés par un résident pendant les 3 premiers mois de la rotation en neurochirurgie était de 66, dont 12 cas au cours desquels le résident était identifié comme étant le chirurgien principal. Les types les plus fréquents d'interventions au cours desquelles le résident était identifié comme le chirurgien principal étaient des interventions pour hémorragie intracrânienne et des dérivations du liquide céphalorachidien.

Conclusion:

Selon cette étude préliminaire, il semble que l'activité chirurgicale des résidents canadiens au cours de leur première année de formation est équivalente à celle de résidents participant à d'autres programmes de formation quant au volume et à la diversité de l'activité chirurgicale.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Canadian Journal of Neurological 2010

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