The diminishing experience in pediatric surgery for general surgery residents in the United States

Abstract

Purpose: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) regulates the general surgery residency curriculum. Case volume remains a priority as recent concerns surrounding a lack of proficiency for certain surgical cases have circulated. We hypothesize that there is a significant decrease in pediatric surgery case numbers during general surgery residency despite residents meeting the minimum case requirements. Methods: We reviewed publicly available ACGME case reports for general surgery residency from 1999 to 2018. Cases are classified as Surgeon Chief or Surgeon Junior. Analyzed data included case classifications, number of residents, and number of residency programs. Simple linear regression analysis was performed. Results: We identified a significant decrease in total number of logged pediatric surgery cases over the past 20 years (p<0.001). Nearly 60% of cases were logged under a single category – inguinal/umbilical hernia. From the past five years, pyloric stenosis was the only other category with an average of greater than two cases logged (range 2.1–2.8). Conclusion: We identified a significant decrease in total pediatric surgery case numbers during general surgery residency from 1999 to 2018. Though meeting set requirements, overall case variety was limited. With minimal number of cases required by the ACGME, graduating general surgery residents may lack proficiency in simple pediatric surgery cases.