An Exploration of Culture in General Surgery Training Programs: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Organizational Culture

Background:

• Current research on general surgery residency programs often focuses on isolated issues like mistreatment and burnout.
• A comprehensive analysis of the overall culture, climate, and learning environment is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically explore the conceptualization, investigation, and measurement of culture within general surgery residency training.
• To identify existing methodologies and knowledge gaps in assessing the culture of surgical training.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review was conducted using five major databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo).
• Searches combined controlled vocabulary and keywords related to culture, environment, climate, and general surgery training.
• Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts, followed by a narrative synthesis.

Main Results:

• Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, predominantly from the United States (85.7%).
• Few studies (2/7) defined culture, and only three (3/7) used validated instruments to measure culture, climate, or learning environment.
• The studies examined diverse aspects including training, workload, well-being, duty hours, mistreatment, and job satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Significant heterogeneity exists in how culture is evaluated in general surgery residency literature.
• A more standardized approach to assessing organizational culture is crucial for advancing the field of surgical education.