Resident surgery—Is it safe?

Abstract

A retrospective review of 300 elective colonic resections was done for 3 yr. Colectomy was seen as a good measure of surgical skill and overall clinical care. Fundamental to the maintenance and furthering of the education of well-trained, capable surgeoms, is the obligation of the medical community to furnish substantative evidence, as presented in this study, to the patient and the community at large, that surgical procedures performed by residents in training are safe. It is essential that the paramount place of operative experience in the overall training of residents be emphasized and preserved.