Journal of surgical education
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Fatal errors due to miscommunication among members of trauma teams are 2 to 4 times more likely to occur than in other medical teams, yet most trauma team members do not receive communication effectiveness training. A needs assessment was conducted to examine trauma team members' miscommunication experiences and research scientists' evaluations of live trauma activations. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that communication training is necessary and highlight specific team communication competencies that trauma teams should learn to improve communication during activations. ⋯ Communication training may be necessary for trauma teams and offer a deeper understanding of the communication competencies that should be addressed. The APRC-TA and APRC-LA both include team communication competencies that could be used as a guide to design training for trauma team members and leaders. Researchers should also continue to examine recommendations for improved team and leader communication during activations using in-depth interviews and focus groups.
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This study evaluated the effect of the fellowship interview process in a cohort of general surgery residents. We hypothesized that the interview process would be associated with significant clinical time lost, monetary expenses, and increased need for shift coverage. ⋯ The surgical fellowship match is relatively burdensome to residents and programs alike, and merits critical assessment for potential improvement.
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Many institutions use social media to share research with the general public. However, the influence of social media on the dissemination of a surgical research article itself is unknown. Our objective was to determine whether a blog post highlighting the findings of a surgical research article would lead to increased dissemination of the article itself. ⋯ Social media is an important tool for sharing surgical research. Our data suggest that social media can increase distribution of an article's message and also potentially increase dissemination of the article itself. We believe that authors should consider using social media to increase the dissemination of traditionally published articles.
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Surgical programs strive to recruit trainees who will graduate as competent surgeons; however, selection processes vary between institutions. The purpose of the present study was to (1) solicit program directors' (PDs) opinions on the proportion of trainees who have difficulty achieving competence and (2) establish consensus on the desired attributes of general surgery (GS) candidates and the technical skills that would be most indicative of future performance. ⋯ PDs indicate that of the 3 domains, the largest proportion of trainees had difficulty reaching competence in technical skill. Consensus among PDs suggests that top personal attributes include work ethic and passion for surgery. Consensus of technical tasks for inclusion into selection was basic open and laparoscopic skills.