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. 2023 Oct 1:16:610-618.
doi: 10.1016/j.xjon.2023.08.026. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Global cardiothoracic surgery: A survey of trainees' interests and barriers

Yihan Lin  1 , Alexander Hoffner-Heinike  2 , Victoria Clair  2 , Jason J Han  3 , Clauden Louis  4 , Ralph Bolman  2
Affiliations

Global cardiothoracic surgery: A survey of trainees' interests and barriers

Yihan Lin et al. JTCVS Open. .

Abstract

Background: More than 5 billion people lack access to surgical care, disproportionately in low- and middle-income countries. The emerging literature demonstrates high interest in global surgery across specialties; however, participation in global cardiothoracic surgical care remains low. To date, there has been no research quantifying the attitudes of cardiothoracic surgeons about global surgery. Our study aimed to acquire a broader understanding of cardiothoracic surgical trainees' interest in global surgery to address barriers and promote cardiac healthcare worldwide.

Methods: An online survey was sent to all North American cardiothoracic surgical residents via the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association email listserv. The survey was designed in the REDCap database and administered twice, in 2021 and 2022. Data were analyzed by descriptive and chi-square analysis using Stata.

Results: Seventy-three cardiothoracic surgical trainees responded to our survey, of whom 95.3% considered increasing cardiothoracic surgical access to be important, and 67.2% identified this as a future career priority. Most respondents (82.8%) would participate in global surgery if opportunities were available through their home institution. Lack of opportunities (70.0%) and finances (66.7%) were the primary barriers to participation. Respondents identified funding (85%) and institutional support (83.3%) as the most significant incentives to increase involvement.

Conclusions: There is strong interest in global surgery among cardiothoracic trainees; however, involvement remains low. A consensus among the North American cardiothoracic surgical community is needed to address barriers to global volunteerism within surgical residency and improve access to cardiac surgery worldwide.

Keywords: cardiothoracic surgery; cardiothoracic training; global cardiac surgery; humanitarian cardiac surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The Journal policy requires editors and reviewers to disclose conflicts of interest and to decline handling or reviewing manuscripts for which they may have a conflict of interest. The editors and reviewers of this article have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

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Graphical abstract
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More funding, opportunity, and mentorship support residents' interest in global surgery.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Interests and barriers of participation in global health among cardiothoracic surgical trainees.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Opinions on increasing access to cardiothoracic care in low- and middle-income countries.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Interest in participation in global cardiothoracic surgery opportunities.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Perceived barriers to participation in global cardiothoracic surgery opportunities.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Current institutional and faculty support for global cardiothoracic opportunities.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Factors that would increase trainees' participation in global cardiothoracic surgery opportunities.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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