Operating room preparation by general surgery residents: A qualitative analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Surgical education faces challenges due to reduced resident training time.
• There is a need to understand how residents prepare for surgical procedures.
• Factors influencing operating room preparation require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how general surgery residents prepare for the operating room.
• To identify factors impacting residents' operating room preparation.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing conventional content analysis.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with general surgery residents.
• Interview transcripts were analyzed inductively to identify emergent themes.

Main Results:

• Residents defined preparation similarly, learning through experience and peers.
• Key influencing factors included time, attending surgeons, autonomy, case complexity, and resource availability.
• Preparation resource utilization varied significantly among residents.
• Post-graduate year (PGY) level impacted preparation strategies.

Conclusions:

• Surgical residents share a common understanding of operating room preparation.
• Residents utilize diverse resources for preparation, often encountering difficulties.
• Preparation is a complex process influenced by multiple individual and systemic factors.