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Principles of Rodent Surgery for the New Surgeon
Published on: January 6, 2011
Surgical practice: evidence or anecdote.
Brent S Izu1, Benjamin Monson, Alex G Little
1Department of Surgery, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine, One Wyoming Street, Dayton, OH 45409, USA. brent.izu@wright.edu
Journal of Surgical Education
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Many surgical practices lack evidence but persist in education. Faculty are more likely to adopt evidence-based procedures after continuing medical education, highlighting a need for faculty validation of resident practices.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Education
- Evidence-Based Medicine
- Surgical Practice
Background:
- Surgical education often includes practices lacking empirical evidence.
- These non-evidence-based practices can become ingrained, creating a false perception of validity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and evaluate common surgical practices not supported by evidence.
- To assess the adherence to and belief in evidence-based practices among surgical faculty and residents.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed faculty and residents at an academic institution regarding three specific surgical practices.
- Practices examined: nasogastric tube clamping, bowel preparation for colon resection, and sigmoid colectomy after diverticulitis.
Main Results:
- No evidence supports clamping nasogastric tubes; widely practiced. Bowel preparation for elective colon resection lacks evidence of improved outcomes but is frequently used. Sigmoid colectomy for two diverticulitis episodes is common despite no evidence of improved morbidity/mortality.
- Faculty were more likely to have reviewed evidence and believe practices were evidence-based compared to residents for nasogastric tube clamping and bowel preparation.
Conclusions:
- Widespread use of non-evidence-based surgical practices can mislead trainees.
- Continuing medical education can influence faculty practice changes, suggesting a need for faculty to model evidence-based procedures for residents.
