According to the article, it is widely believed that the amount of time required to perform an operation increases when the procedure also involves training a surgical resident. The article states that this increase in time does not translate into a financial burden for the hospital. In addition, although not part of this study, other research has shown no deleterious effects of increased operative time.
Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., M.B.A., from Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues compared the operative times of academic surgeons performing four common surgical procedures before and after the introduction of a post-graduate resident into the operating room at a community teaching hospital. Between January 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002, four academic surgeons performed operations without a resident. During that time, they either operated alone for hernia surgeries, or assisted each other for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), colectomy (removal of part of the colon), and carotid endarterectomy (removal of plaque from an artery that supplies blood to the brain). From July 1, 2002 through March 31, 2003, these same four surgeons were assisted on the same procedures by a resident physician in the third year of a post-graduate surgical training program.
The researchers found the amount of time required to perform each of the procedures increased with the addition of the surgical resident.
The authors suggest that
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Contact: Gina DiGravio
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JAMA and Archives Journals
12-Apr-2004