A survey of robotic surgery training curricula in general surgery residency programs: How close are we to a standardized curriculum?

Abstract

Background: Robotic surgery is increasingly adopted into surgical practice, but it remains unclear what level of robotic training general surgery residents receive. The purpose of our study was to assess the variation in robotic surgery training amongst general surgery residency programs in the United States.

Methods: A web-based survey was sent to 277 general surgery residency programs to determine characteristics of resident experience and training in robotic surgery.

Results: A total of 114 (41%) programs responded. 92% (n = 105) have residents participating in robotic surgeries; 68%(n = 71) of which have a robotics curriculum, 44%(n = 46) track residents' robotic experience, and 55%(n = 58) offer formal recognition of training completion. Responses from university-affiliated (n = 83) and independent (n = 31) programs were not significantly different.

Conclusions: Many general surgery residencies offer robotic surgery experience, but vary widely in requisite components, formal credentialing, and case tracking. There is a need to adopt a standardized training curriculum and document resident competency.

Keywords: Curriculum; Resident education; Robotic surgery; Surgical education; Training.