Urology practice patterns after residency training in radical perineal prostatectomy

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Surgical Education
• Prostate Cancer Surgery

Background:

• Radical perineal prostatectomy (RPP) is a specialized surgical technique for prostate cancer.
• The adoption of RPP in urological practice may be influenced by residency training experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of residency training in radical perineal prostatectomy (RPP) on its subsequent utilization in clinical practice.
• To determine if the extent of RPP operative experience during residency correlates with its use in post-residency practice.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous survey distributed to urologists who completed residency at Tulane University and UC San Diego Medical Center between 1977 and 1999.
• Questionnaire assessed practice demographics, RPP residency experience, current RPP use, and reasons for performing or not performing RPP.

Main Results:

• 67% of surveyed urologists responded (61 of 91).
• Urologists with RPP residency training were more likely to perform RPP (41%) compared to those without (13%).
• Performing 10+ RPPs during residency correlated with higher current RPP use (53%) versus fewer than 10 (21%).

Conclusions:

• Residency training in radical perineal prostatectomy (RPP) is a significant predictor of its use in urological practice.
• Increased operative volume during residency positively influences the likelihood of performing RPP post-training.
• Inadequate exposure and perceived difficulty were cited as reasons for not performing RPP by those without sufficient residency training.