Evidence-Based Education in Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Educational reforms in resident training have historically been driven by reports from medical societies and organizations. Although educational initiatives are well intended, they are rarely supported by robust evidence. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently introduced competency-based training, a form of outcomes-based education that has been used successfully in nonmedical professional vocations. This initiative has promise to advance the quality of resident education, but questions remain regarding implementation within plastic surgery. In particular, how will competency-based training impact patient outcomes, and will the methodologies used to assess competencies (i.e., milestones) be accurate and validated by literature? This report investigates resident educational reform and the need for more evidence-based educational initiatives in plastic surgery training.