GPs with enhanced surgical skills: a questionable solution for remote surgical services

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Rural Health Services

Background:

• The Canadian College of Family Physicians recognizes family physicians with enhanced surgical skills (ESS).
• A 1-year surgical training curriculum has been proposed to improve surgical services in remote and underserved areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed 1-year ESS training curriculum.
• To propose alternative strategies for enhancing surgical care in underserved regions.

Main Methods:

• The study critically analyzes the proposed ESS curriculum.
• It considers the current landscape of general surgical training and surgeon supply.
• It explores requirements for sustainable surgical services and outreach.

Main Results:

• The proposed 1-year ESS curriculum is deemed overly ambitious and potentially unrealistic.
• It may not produce surgeons capable of delivering high-quality surgical services.
• An oversupply of general surgeons presents an alternative pathway.

Conclusions:

• Alternative training pathways and long-term solutions are necessary for sustainable surgical services.
• These include alternate funding models, a national locum service, and a review of population and infrastructure needs.
• The current proposal is unlikely to meet the goal of delivering high-quality surgical services to remote areas.