Intraoperative teaching methods, models, and frameworks: A scoping review for surgical resident education.

BACKGROUND: This review aimed to consolidate the existing literature on intraoperative teaching strategies and highlight areas for future research. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to review the research conducted regarding the implementation of various teaching frameworks for surgical learners and to present their feasibility, benefits, and limitations within surgical residencies, as well as areas for future research. METHODS: Two independent investigators searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ERIC and reviewed articles on intraoperative teaching strategies for surgical resident education. RESULTS: 3050 abstracts were reviewed, and 66 studies (2.2%) were included. The most common study type was single cohort studies (33%), followed by survey studies (17%). The majority of articles were carried out in General Surgery (50%), or a combination of surgical specialties (17%). CONCLUSIONS: The BID model encompasses perioperative teaching time points and suggests a universal organizational approach to intraoperative teaching that would likely be compatible with documented competency assessments for residents.

Management of complex acute biliary disease for the general surgeon: A narrative review.

Acute gallbladder diseases are a common surgical emergency faced by General Surgeons that can sometimes be quite challenging. These complex biliary diseases require multifaceted and expeditious care, optimized based on hospital facility and operating room (OR) resources and the expertise of the surgical team. Effective management of biliary emergencies requires two foundational principles: achieving source control while mitigating the risk of injury to the biliary tree and its blood supply. This review article highlights salient literature on seven complex biliary diseases: acute cholecystitis, cholangitis, Mirizzi syndrome, gallstone ileus with cholecystoenteric fistula, gallstone pancreatitis, gall bladder cancer, and post-cholecystectomy bile leak.

Effectiveness of a rectal cancer education video on patient expectations.

AIM: Discrepancy between patient expectations and outcomes can negatively affect patient satisfaction and quality of life. We aimed to assess patient expectations of bowel, urinary, and sexual function after rectal cancer treatments, and whether a preoperative education video changed expectations. METHODS: A total of 45 patients were assessed between January 2018 and January 2021 in a tertiary care hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Patients included were rectal cancer patients who had neoadjuvant chemoradiation and were listed for low anterior resection but had not yet had surgery. Following surgical consultation but before surgery, a questionnaire assessing expectations of lifestyle after treatments was administered. Patients then watched an educational video and repeated the questionnaire to assess for changes in expectations. RESULTS: Patient scores indicated expectation that control of bowel movements, urination, and sexual function would sometimes be problematic, but had a range from occasionally problematic to good function. Significant change after the video was seen in the expectation of needing medications for bowel control, and 44%-69% of individual patient answers changed from prevideo to post-video, depending on the question. The education video was scored as helpful or very helpful by 82% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients have varying expectations of problematic control of bowel, urinary, and sexual function following rectal cancer treatments. A pretreatment education video resulted in a trend toward changed expectations for functional outcomes in most patients. Further educational modalities for patients may provide more uniform expectations of function and increase patient satisfaction after rectal cancer treatments.

Evolving anatomy education strategies for surgical residents: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Dedicated anatomy educational time in medical schools has decreased significantly, disproportionately affecting surgical residents. In this scoping review, we aim to consolidate existing evidence, describe ongoing research, and highlight future directions for surgical anatomy education. METHODS: Two independent investigators searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library, for educational interventions targeting anatomy knowledge in surgical residents. English articles until October 28, 2021, were reviewed. RESULTS: 1135 abstracts were considered, and 59 (5.2%) included. Agreement on inclusion was excellent (k = 0.90). The majority were single-cohort studies (53%) and prospective cohort studies (17%). The most common disciplines were General Surgery (17%) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (17%). DISCUSSION: Cadavers consistently produce positive knowledge gains and are heavily favored by residents. They remain the educational method to which new educational models are compared. New technologies do not yet match cadaver fidelity. Research showing knowledge translation from cadaver labs to patient outcomes remains limited.

Optimal treatments for hepato-pancreato-biliary trauma in severely injured patients: a narrative scoping review.

SUMMARY: Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) injuries can be extremely challenging to manage. This scoping review (8438 citations) offers a number of recommendations. If diagnosis and therapy are rapid, patients with major hepatic injuries who present in physiologic extremis have high survival rates despite prolonged hospital stays. Nonoperative management of major liver injuries, as diagnosed using computed tomography, is typically successful. Adjuncts (e.g., angioembolization, laparoscopic washouts, biliary stents) are essential in managing high-grade injuries. Injury to the extrahepatic biliary tree is rare. Cholecystectomy is indicated for all gallbladder trauma. Full-thickness common bile duct injuries require a hepaticojejunostomy, although damage control remains closed suction drainage. Injuries to the pancreatic head often involve concurrent trauma to regional vasculature. Damage control necessitates drainage after stopping hemorrhage. Injury to the left pancreas commonly requires a distal pancreatectomy. Outcomes for high-grade pancreatic and liver injuries are improved by involving an HPB team. Complications are multidisciplinary and should be managed without delay.

Mental toughness in surgeons: Is there room for improvement?

Background: Mental toughness is crucial to high-level performance in stressful situations. However, there is no formal evaluation or training in mental toughness in surgery. Our objective was to examine differences in mental toughness between staff and resident surgeons, and whether there is an interest in improving this attribute. Methods: We distributed a survey containing the Mental Toughness Index (domains of self-belief, attention regulation, emotion regulation, success mindset, context knowledge, buoyancy, optimism and adversity capacity) among general surgery residents and staff at 3 Canadian academic institutions. Responses were recorded on a 7-point Likert scale. Participants were also asked about techniques they used to help them perform under pressure and interest in further developing mental toughness. Results: Eighty-three of 193 surgeons participated: 56/105 (52.8%) residents and 27/87 (31.0%) staff. The average age was 29 (standard deviation 5) years and 42 (standard deviation 8) years, respectively. Residents scored significantly lower than staff in all mental toughness domains. Men scored significantly higher than women in attention regulation and emotion regulation. Age, staff experience and resident postgraduate year were not significantly associated with mental toughness scores. Twenty residents (36%) and 17 staff (63%) reported using specific techniques to deal with stressful situations; 49 (88%) and 15 (56%), respectively, were interested in further developing mental toughness. Conclusion: Staff surgeons scored significantly higher than residents in all mental toughness domains measured. Both groups expressed a desire to improve mental toughness. There are many techniques to improve mental toughness, and further research is needed to assess their effectiveness in surgical training.

Contexte: La force mentale est indispensable à un rendement de haut niveau en situation de stress. Par contre, il n'existe pas de méthode d'évaluation formelle ni de formation pour promouvoir la force mentale en chirurgie. Notre objectif était de comparer la force mentale des chirurgiens en poste à celle des résidents, et de vérifier si l'amélioration de cette compétence suscite l'intérêt. Méthodes: Nous avons distribué un questionnaire sur les divers domaines qui constituent l'indice de force mentale (confiance en soi, régulation de l'attention et des émotions, attitude gagnante, connaissances du contexte, dynamisme, optimisme et résistance à l'adversité) aux résidents et aux chirurgiens en poste en chirurgie générale dans 3 établissements universitaires canadiens. Les réponses étaient consignées sur une échelle de Likert en 7 points. Les participants ont aussi été interrogés sur les techniques qu'ils utilisent pour mieux composer avec la pression et sur leur intérêt pour l'acquisition d'une plus grande force mentale. Résultats: Quatre-vingt-trois chirurgiens sur 193 ont participé : 56/105 (52,8 %) résidents et 27/87 (31,0 %) chirurgiens en poste. L'âge moyen était de 29 ans (écarttype 5) et de 42 ans (écart-type 8), respectivement. Les résidents ont obtenu un score significativement moindre que les chirurgiens en poste pour tous les domaines constitutifs de la force mentale. Les hommes ont obtenu des scores significativement plus élevés que les femmes pour la régulation de l'attention et des émotions. L'âge, l'expérience des chirurgiens en poste et l'année de formation postdoctorale des résidents n'ont pas été significativement associés aux scores de force mentale. Vingt résidents (36 %) et 17 chirurgiens en poste (63 %) ont indiqué utiliser des techniques spécifiques pour affronter les situations stressantes; 49 (88 %) et 15 (56 %), respectivement, se sont montrés intéressés à acquérir davantage de force mentale. Conclusion: Les chirurgiens en poste ont obtenu des scores significativement plus élevés que les résidents pour tous les domaines de la force mentale mesurés. Les 2 groupes ont exprimé un intérêt pour l'amélioration de leur force mentale. Il existe plusieurs techniques à cet effet et il faudra approfondir la recherche pour en évaluer l'efficacité chez les chirurgiens en formation.