Surgical outcome for resident and attending surgeons

Area of Science:

• General Surgery
• Surgical Education

Background:

• Supervised surgical training is crucial for resident development.
• Assessing the impact of resident-led procedures on patient outcomes is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare surgical process and patient outcomes for appendectomies performed by attending surgeons versus resident physicians under supervision.
• To evaluate differences in diagnostic accuracy, length of stay, and complication rates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 154 appendectomy cases over two years.
• Data abstracted from medical records and pathology reports.
• Comparison of outcomes based on whether an attending or resident physician was listed as chief surgeon.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in patient demographics (age, sex) between groups.
• Similar diagnostic accuracy between attending and resident surgeons.
• Slightly shorter average hospital stay for resident cases (7.1 days) vs. attending cases (8.8 days), though not statistically significant.
• Lower postoperative complication rate for resident cases (12%) compared to attending cases (24%), though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Appendectomy process and outcomes are comparable whether performed by attending surgeons or supervised residents.
• Surgical training programs can maintain high standards of care through effective supervision.
• Further research may explore factors influencing complication rates despite statistical non-significance.