Review of Influential Articles in Surgical Education: 2002–2012

Abstract

Background Exploring the trends in surgical education research offers insight into concerns, developments, and questions researchers are exploring that are relevant to teaching and learning in surgical specialties. Objective We conducted a review of the surgical education literature published between 2002 and 2012. The purpose was 2-fold: to provide an overview of the most frequently cited articles in the field of surgical education during the last decade and to describe the study designs and themes featured in these articles. Methods Articles were identified through Web of Science by using “surgical education” and “English language” as search terms. Using a feature in Web of Science, we tracked the number of citations of any publication. Of the 800 articles produced by the initial search, we initially selected 23 articles with 45 or more citations, and ultimately chose the 20 articles that were most frequently cited for our analysis. Results Analysis of the most frequently cited articles published in US journals between the years 2002–2012 identified 7 research themes and presented them in order of frequency with which they appear: use of simulation, issues in student/resident assessment, specialty choice, patient safety, team training, clinical competence assessment, and teaching the clinical sciences, with surgical simulation being the central theme. Researchers primarily used descriptive methods. Conclusions Popular themes in surgical education research illuminate the information needs of surgical educators as well as topics of high interest to the surgical community.

Rethinking the causes of pilonidal sinus disease: a matched cohort study

“…While a succession of review articles have ranked “landmark” articles in the fields of general surgery, clinical dermatology and surgical education 7 , 8 , Karydakis’ article on PSD 4 has never been challenged. For decades surgeons have assumed that maceration of the IGF is a risk factor for PSD and that pilonidal patients sweat more than people without the disease.…”

Surgical Education’s 100 Most Cited Articles: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Evaluating technical performance in surgery is challenging, and most studies have focused on techniques that standardize the assessment process. The report by Martin et al 10 had the fifth highest citation rate and compared the reliability and validity of the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills, in which trainees carry out a series of standardized surgical procedures under the direct observation of an expert, to that of the more traditional Objective Structured Clinical Examination. This form of operative competence assessment has now become integral to the assessment of progression of UK surgical trainees, in the form of Procedural Based Assessments.…”

“…8,9 Yet at the time of writing, only 1 report exists regarding the most influential articles in surgical education by Wohlauer, describing the 20 most cited publications between 2002 and 2012. 10 The aim of this study was to amplify the above and determine the topics and specifically the studies that had been most cited in the arena of surgical education by means of a bibliometric analysis of the 100 most cited articles over the past 100 years.…”

Simulation learning in plastic surgery

“…Four integration approaches have been described: the blocktime approach, rotational-integration approach, skills-rotation approach, and the independent-study approach. 107 In the first approach, protected time blocks are provided weekly or monthly for the trainees throughout their rotations. In contrast, The rotation-integration approach provides simulation-training modules that are synchronized with a specific clinical rotation, for example, a basic bench model microsurgery skill course as part of a clinical rotation of reconstructive microsurgery.…”