Multi-institutional Surgical Education Interventions: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Surgical Training Interventions
• Multi-institutional Collaboration

Background:

• Surgical education research predominantly occurs at single institutions, limiting generalizability.
• The current landscape of multi-institutional surgical education studies is not well-defined.
• Interventional studies in surgical education require robust methodologies for valid outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate the scholarly output of multi-institutional interventional surgical education trials.
• To assess the quality and characteristics of existing multi-institutional surgical education research.
• To understand the current status and identify gaps in multi-institutional surgical education research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of major databases (PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL) from 2000-2015.
• Inclusion criteria: English language, peer-reviewed articles on educational interventions involving surgeons at multiple institutions.
• Keywords used: "medical education," "surgical education," "multi-institutional," "multi-center," and related terms.

Main Results:

• 53 studies met inclusion criteria from 3511 identified articles.
• Median of 4 participating institutions (range: 2-54).
• Focus areas: technical skills (43%) and clinical knowledge (32%); outcomes measured: technical skills (32%) and clinical knowledge (21%).
• 13% of studies assessed only learner attitudes, not learning outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Multi-institutional surgical education studies often lack consistent high-quality research elements (study design, outcomes, assessment).
• Coordinated support, including grant funding, is crucial to address challenges and improve the quality of multi-institutional surgical education research.
• Enhancing research infrastructure and collaborative frameworks can elevate the impact of multi-institutional surgical education trials.