Robotic Surgery Curriculum During Residency and Utilization of Robotic Surgery in Practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Technology
• General Surgery

Background:

• Robotic surgery adoption is increasing, necessitating curriculum updates in surgical residency programs.
• The University of North Dakota (UND) implemented a formal robotics curriculum in 2018.
• Understanding trends in resident robotic exposure and post-residency adoption is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate trends in robotic surgical exposure during residency.
• To assess the impact of a formal robotics curriculum on resident training.
• To examine the relationship between residency training and the subsequent use of robotic surgery in practice.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to recent UND surgical graduates (2014-2023).
• Respondents reported on robotic experience during residency, external training, and current practice.
• Data were compared between pre-curriculum (2014-2018) and post-curriculum (2019-2023) cohorts using Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests.

Main Results:

• Significant increases observed in robotic cases during residency (0 vs 25) and resident training rates (38% vs 100%) post-curriculum.
• A significant decrease in days missed from practice for robotic surgery training/certification (3.5 vs 0) was noted.
• No significant association found between residency training and current use of robotic systems, or between rural practice and robotic system use.

Conclusions:

• While UND's robotics curriculum enhanced resident exposure and training efficiency, it did not directly predict the adoption of robotic surgery in practice.
• Findings align with national trends of increasing robotic surgery use in general surgery, including rural settings.
• Factors beyond residency training may influence surgeons' integration of robotic technology into their practice.