Perceived Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Surgical Training: A Brazilian Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies revealed that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) negatively impacted residency programs worldwide, particularly procedure-based programs. However, most studies are from high-income countries, with scarce data from low- and middle-income countries. Pandemic effects on surgical training were likely worse in strictly apprenticeship models relying heavily on surgical volume as opposed to competency-based programs. Notably, training programs in Brazil and other low- and middle-income countries follow these strict apprenticeship style frameworks. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the trainees' perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on their Brazilian surgical programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using an anonymous survey in Portuguese, distributed via social media platforms to surgical residents enrolled in Brazilian surgery programs. Data collection took place from August 2021 to May 2022. The survey contained 30 questions on the perception of the impact of COVID-19 on surgical training. RESULTS: One-hundred sixty-two residents from 17 different surgical specialties and all five regions of Brazil responded to the survey. Of 162 residents, 145 (89%) believed the pandemic negatively impacted their surgical training. Furthermore, of 162 residents, 153 (94%) reported that elective surgical volume decreased during the pandemic and 91 (56%) were redeployed to assist with COVID-19 management. As a result, 102 of 162 (63%) residents believed their surgical skills were negatively impacted by COVID-19. Yet, 95 of 162 (59%) residents reported their residency programs did not offer resources to mitigate the pandemic's impact on training. Of 162 residents, 57 (35%) reported they did not feel on track for graduation, with no statistical difference between responses by year of residency (P = 0.083). Additionally, 124 of 162 (77%) residents reported that the pandemic negatively affected their mental health, most commonly related to stress at work, stress about transmitting COVID-19, and loss in surgical training. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the surveyed Brazilian surgical residents felt the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted their training. This leads to believe that the detrimental impacts of the pandemic exposed preexisting weaknesses in the Brazilian surgical training model's dependence on a strict apprenticeship model. Our findings suggest a crucial need to redesign surgical education programs to make residency programs more prepared for changes in surgical volume, evolve the apprenticeship model to competency-based approaches, and unify surgical training standards in low- and middle-income countries.

Correction: Academic global surgical competencies: A modified Delphi consensus study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002102.].

Academic global surgical competencies: A modified Delphi consensus study.

Academic global surgery is a rapidly growing field that aims to improve access to safe surgical care worldwide. However, no universally accepted competencies exist to inform this developing field. A consensus-based approach, with input from a diverse group of experts, is needed to identify essential competencies that will lead to standardization in this field. A task force was set up using snowball sampling to recruit a broad group of content and context experts in global surgical and perioperative care. A draft set of competencies was revised through the modified Delphi process with two rounds of anonymous input. A threshold of 80% consensus was used to determine whether a competency or sub-competency learning objective was relevant to the skillset needed within academic global surgery and perioperative care. A diverse task force recruited experts from 22 countries to participate in both rounds of the Delphi process. Of the n = 59 respondents completing both rounds of iterative polling, 63% were from low- or middle-income countries. After two rounds of anonymous feedback, participants reached consensus on nine core competencies and 31 sub-competency objectives. The greatest consensus pertained to competency in ethics and professionalism in global surgery (100%) with emphasis on justice, equity, and decolonization across multiple competencies. This Delphi process, with input from experts worldwide, identified nine competencies which can be used to develop standardized academic global surgery and perioperative care curricula worldwide. Further work needs to be done to validate these competencies and establish assessments to ensure that they are taught effectively.

Women Representation on Editorial Boards in Latin America Journals: Promoting Gender Equity in Academic Surgery, Anesthesia, and Obstetrics.

BACKGROUND: Inequitable representation in journal editorial boards may impact women's career progression across surgical, anesthesia, and obstetric (SAO) specialties. However, data from Latin America are lacking. We evaluated women's representation on editorial boards of Latin America SAO journals in 2021. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis, retrieving journals through Scimago Journal and Country Rank 2020. Journals were included if active, focused on SAO topics, and publicly provided information on editorial board staff. Editorial board member names and positions were extracted from journals' websites. Members were classified into senior (e.g., editor-in-chief), academic (e.g., reviewer), and non-academic roles (e.g., administrative office). Women's representation was predicted from first names using Genderize.io. The number of women SAO physicians per country was obtained from articles and governmental reports. RESULTS: We included 19 of 25 identified journals and analyzed 1,318 names. Three anesthesiology, seven obstetric, and nine surgical journals represented five Latin American countries. Women held 17% (224/1,318) of board positions [p < 0.0001; 95% CI(0.14, 0.19)]. Women held fewer academic roles (14.3%, 155/1,084) compared to senior [28.9%, 64/221 (p < 0.001)] and non-academic roles [38.4%, 5/13 (p = 0.042)]. Surgical journals had fewer women (7.7%, 58/752) compared to anesthesia [25.5%, 52/204 (p = 0.006)] and obstetrics [31.5%, 114/362 (p < 0.001)]. Women's proportion on editorial boards increased according to the number of women SAO physicians per country (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study assessed the composition of editorial boards from Latin America SAO journals and demonstrated that women remain underrepresented. Our findings highlight the need for regional strategies to advance women's careers across SAO specialties.

Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Infective Endocarditis at three Tertiary Centers in Brazil from 2003 to 2017

Abstract Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease with high morbimortality and an increasing incidence. With improved diagnosis and treatment, a number of epidemiological changes have been reported over time. Objectives We sought to describe the epidemiological profile, mortality predictors, and analysis of a possible microbiological transition in patients admitted to three tertiary centers in Brazil. Methods In this cross-sectional retrospective study, data from 211 patients with definite or probable IE were analyzed according to the modified Duke criteria between 2003 and 2017. The association between categorical variables was assessed using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic models were built to investigate mortality. We considered p <0.05 statistically significant. Results The median age of the sample was 48 (33-59) years old, 70.6% were men, and the most prevalent pathogen was Staphylococcus spp. (19%). Mortality was 22.3%, with increasing age being the leading risk factor for death (p = 0.028). Regarding the location of the disease, native valves were the most affected site, with the aortic valve being more affected in men than women (p = 0.017). The mean number of cases of Staphylococcus spp. (τ = 0.293, p = 0.148) and Streptococcus spp. (τ = -0.078, p = 0.727) has remained stable over the years. Conclusion No trend towards reduced or increased mortality was evident between 2003 and 2017. Although Staphylococcus spp. were the most prevalent pathogen, the expected epidemiological transition could not be observed.

Global Surgery at the National Landscape: Perspectives after the XXXIV Brazilian Congress of Surgery.

The XXXIV Brazilian Congress of Surgery included Global Surgery for the first time in its scientific program. Global Surgery is any action in research, clinical practice, and policy-making that aims to improve access and quality of care in surgical specialties. In 2015, The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery highlighted that five billion people lack safe, timely, and affordable surgical care. Even more critical, nine of ten people cannot access essential surgical care in low and middle-income countries, where a third of the worldwide population resides, and only 6% of global surgical procedures are performed. Although Brazilian researchers and institutions have been contributing to lay the movement's foundations since 2014, Global Surgery remains a barely debated subject in the country. It is urgent to expand the field and break paradigms regarding the surgeons' role in public health in Brazil. Accomplishing these standards requires a joint effort to strategically allocate resources and identify collaboration opportunities, including those from medical societies and regulatory bodies. As members of the International Student Surgical Network of Brazil - a nonprofit organization by and for students, residents, and young physicians focused on Global Surgery - we review why investing in surgery is cost-effective to strengthen health systems, reduce morbimortality, and lead to economic development. Additionally, we highlight and propose key recommendations to foster the field at the national level.

Global Surgery at the National Landscape: Perspectives after the XXXIV Brazilian Congress of Surgery / Cirurgia Global no Cenário Nacional: Perspectivas após o 34º Congresso Brasileiro de Cirurgia

ABSTRACT The XXXIV Brazilian Congress of Surgery included Global Surgery for the first time in its scientific program. Global Surgery is any action in research, clinical practice, and policy-making that aims to improve access and quality of care in surgical specialties. In 2015, The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery highlighted that five billion people lack safe, timely, and affordable surgical care. Even more critical, nine of ten people cannot access essential surgical care in low and middle-income countries, where a third of the worldwide population resides, and only 6% of global surgical procedures are performed. Although Brazilian researchers and institutions have been contributing to lay the movement's foundations since 2014, Global Surgery remains a barely debated subject in the country. It is urgent to expand the field and break paradigms regarding the surgeons' role in public health in Brazil. Accomplishing these standards requires a joint effort to strategically allocate resources and identify collaboration opportunities, including those from medical societies and regulatory bodies. As members of the International Student Surgical Network of Brazil - a nonprofit organization by and for students, residents, and young physicians focused on Global Surgery - we review why investing in surgery is cost-effective to strengthen health systems, reduce morbimortality, and lead to economic development. Additionally, we highlight and propose key recommendations to foster the field at the national level.

RESUMO O 34° Congresso Brasileiro de Cirurgia incluiu Cirurgia Global pela primeira vez em seu programa científico. Cirurgia Global é qualquer ação em pesquisa, prática clínica e políticas em saúde que visa melhorar o acesso e a qualidade do atendimento em especialidades cirúrgicas. Em 2015, a Comissão da The Lancet em Cirurgia Global destacou que cinco bilhões de pessoas carecem de assistência cirúrgica segura, oportuna e acessível. Ainda mais crítico, nove em cada dez pessoas não têm acesso a cuidados cirúrgicos essenciais em países de baixa e média renda, onde um terço da população mundial reside e apenas 6% dos procedimentos cirúrgicos globais são realizados. Embora pesquisadores e instituições brasileiras tenham contribuído para lançar as bases internacionais e nacionais do movimento desde 2014, a Cirurgia Global ainda é um assunto pouco debatido no país. Assim, faz-se urgente expandir essa área de conhecimento e quebrar paradigmas quanto ao papel do cirurgião na saúde pública no Brasil. Isso requer um esforço conjunto para alocar recursos de forma estratégica bem como para identificar oportunidades de colaboração, incluindo as sociedades médicas e os órgãos reguladores. Como membros da International Student Surgical Network of Brazil - organização sem fins lucrativos feita por e para estudantes, residentes e jovens médicos com foco na Cirurgia Global - revisamos por que investir em Cirurgia é uma medida custo-efetiva para fortalecer os sistemas de saúde, reduzir a morbimortalidade e promover o desenvolvimento econômico. Além disso, destacamos e propomos recomendações-chave para fomentar a Cirurgia Global a nível nacional.