Survey of Robotic Surgery Training in Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency.
Christopher M. Novak, MD. Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Survey of Robotic Surgery Training in Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Christopher M. Novak, MD Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC Joseph M. Gobern, MD, Ernest G. Lockrow, DO Objective: To determine the status of resident training in robotic surgery in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the United States. Methods: Accredited Obstetrics and Gynecology programs in the United States were identified through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website. A link to the online survey was emailed to 247 residency program directors using emails obtained from the ACGME website and individual residency program websites. Results: Responses were received from 83 of 247 program directors representing a 34% response rate. Of all respondents, robotic surgical systems were available and utilized for gynecologic procedures at 65 (78%) institutions, of which the majority were university hospitals (40%), community hospitals (24%), and regional medical centers (22%). The most common procedures performed were hysterectomy for benign condition, gynecologic cancer, myomectomy, and sacral colpopexy. Robotic surgery training was part of the curriculum for 48 (58%) residency programs; however half were undecided on the effectiveness of their training programs. The most frequent methods utilized for resident training were robotic platforms (78%), lectures (75%), and video training (53%). The most frequent methods for assessment of resident competency were operating room performance (75%) and robotic platforms (55%). Residents were most likely to receive robotic training on the gynecologic oncology rotation. In residency programs where robotic training was not part of the curriculum, program directors plan to implement training through lecture format (63%) and robotic platforms (54%). While few respondents foresee robotic surgical procedures becoming the gold standard for gynecologic procedures over the next 5 to 10 years, most felt the role of robotic surgery would increase and play a more integral role in gynecologic surgery. Conclusions: Despite limited response to the survey, there seems to be an increasing role for robotic surgery in gynecology. Resident training in robotic surgery needs to continually be reassessed. Further studies are needed to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a structured training curriculum and to establish a means for assessment of resident performance. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army, Navy, Department of Defense, or U.S. government.
