SAGES masters program: determining the seminal articles for each pathway

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Gastrointestinal Surgery
• Endoscopic Surgery

Background:

• The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) developed a Masters Program for lifelong surgical learning.
• The program features eight clinical pathways, each with three anchoring procedures.
• A need existed to identify foundational literature for these procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically select seminal articles for each anchoring procedure within the SAGES Masters Program pathways.
• To provide a curated list of essential readings for surgeons participating in the program.
• To enhance procedure-specific knowledge and inform surgical best practices.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed on Web of Science to identify highly cited articles.
• Expert members of SAGES pathway committees reviewed the identified articles.
• Seminal articles were chosen through expert consensus for each anchoring procedure.

Main Results:

• The search identified 578 highly cited articles across the SAGES Masters Program pathways.
• Expert review and consensus led to the selection of seminal articles for each anchoring procedure.
• The selected articles cover procedural outcomes, disease pathophysiology, and surgical techniques.

Conclusions:

• Seminal articles for each SAGES Masters Program anchoring procedure have been identified using a systematic methodology.
• These articles serve as a valuable resource for surgeon participants to improve knowledge.
• The curated list focuses on impactful work to inform surgical best practices for the wider community.