Measuring Patterns of Surgeon Confidence Using a Novel Assessment Tool

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education and Training
• Medical Professional Development
• Psychology of Surgeons

Background:

• Limited data exist on surgeon confidence development throughout training and practice.
• Confidence may vary across clinical (inpatient, outpatient) and personal domains.
• A reliable tool is needed to measure and track surgeon confidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel survey scale to assess surgeon confidence.
• To evaluate confidence trends across different surgical practice domains and experience levels.
• To establish a reliable method for monitoring surgeon confidence over time.

Main Methods:

• A novel cross-sectional survey was distributed to 134 surgeons in private and academic settings.
• Respondents reported anticipated reactions to clinical scenarios in three patient care domains and personal spheres.
• Confidence scores were analyzed against years of experience, with reliability assessed via a subgroup re-survey after four years.

Main Results:

• Surgeons reported a steep improvement in confidence across all clinical domains during residency.
• Confidence continued to increase for inpatient domains during the transition to practice.
• Confidence in personal spheres also showed rapid increases during residency and beyond.

Conclusions:

• The novel surgeon confidence scale effectively captures the expected acquisition of confidence during early surgical experience.
• The scale demonstrates value in tracking trends in surgeon confidence as training and practice patterns evolve.
• This tool can aid in understanding and supporting surgeon competency development.