[DoNTRuN a neurosurgical trainee network; network for the advancement of clinical research]

There is a lot of research into the effectiveness of interventions, but good evidence for many interventions is missing. This is very true of simple and frequently performed treatments. These interventions are often done by trainees in the course of their specialist training, and for this reason they are in a unique position to carry out research into them. There are far fewer high-quality, multicentre clinical trials in the surgical specialisations than in any other specialisation. As trainee neurosurgeons, we are of the opinion that this can be improved upon. With the establishment of the Dutch Neurosurgical Trainee Research Network (DoNTRuN), a national network, we are aiming to initiate and carry out new clinical trials. This initiative, which is currently unique in the Netherlands, will not only enable us to set up multicentre clinical trials relatively simply, but will also educate trainees in the carrying out of thorough clinical research, an area neglected in the current training program.