62.19 Does Operative Case Volume Affect Surgery In-Training Exam Scores?

Posted on January 18, 2016

C. S. Schoolfield1, G. Nightengale1, R. H. Kim1, N. Samra1, Q. Chu1, W. W. Zhang1, T. Tan1 1Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center,Shreveport, LA, USA

Introduction:
In the era of duty hour restrictions, there is a concern that increased time spent by residents in operative cases could lead to decreased time available for studying and therefore adversely impact their ABSITE scores. The objective of this study is to determine if a residents’ number of operative cases correlates with their American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam (ABSITE) scores and could be used as a predictor of future success.

Methods:
A retrospective review was performed on ABSITE scores and operative case logs from a university hospital-based general surgery residency program from 2008-2015. All preliminary and categorical residents were included. Excluded was any incomplete data or records. The data was grouped as a collaborative ABSITE percent correct score and then in groups who scored above and below the 30th percentile. The data was analyzed using linear regression analysis.

Results:
A total of 125 ABSITE scores from 29 residents were reviewed. The overall mean percent correct was 72.4%. Thirty nine scores were <30th percentile ranking with a mean percent correct score of 66.4%. Overall, there was no correlation between number of operative cases and ABSITE scores (R2=.005, p=.4). When those ≥30th percentile on the ABSITE were grouped together, there was a significant positive correlation in number of case logs and ABSITE scores (p=.02). When data was broken down to groups <30th percentile there was however not a significant correlation between case logs and ABSITE scores (p=.61).

Conclusion:
At an academic medical center, there was not significant correlation between general surgery residents’ operative case numbers and their ABSITE scores. An increase in operative cases, and therefore assumed increased time in the operating room, does not appear to have a negative effect on resident academic performance as measured by ABSITE scores.