The redistribution of benign gynecologic surgery

The program directors of obstetrics-gynecology residencies in the United States were questioned regarding their perceptions of benign gynecologic surgical volume change at their institutions. Most responding departments had experienced a decline volume during the 5 years prior to the study. This volume decrease tended to be more frequent and more pronounced in those programs involving care of a high percentage of indigent patients. Conversely, programs with a predominantly nonindigent patient population tended to experience increases in volume. Many factors are responsible for this redistribution, including a change in gynecology, itself, which has become increasingly occupied with noninvasive ambulatory techniques.