Resident impact on operative duration for elective general surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND: Resident involvement in operations increases operative duration. This study investigated resident impact on operative time for a single general surgeon in an outpatient surgical setting.

METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of index general surgical operations meeting inclusion criteria. Operative duration, patient demographics, 30-day complication/readmission rates, and degree of resident involvement were collected.

RESULTS: 625 cases were analyzed. Patient demographics were similar for all procedural comparison groups. Operative time increased with resident involvement for each operation-umbilical hernia repairs were associated with a 19% increase (22.3 ± 6.7 versus 26.5 ± 7.5 min, p = 0.002), laparoscopic cholecystectomies demonstrated a 15% increase (25.8 ± 8.7 versus 29.7 ± 10.2 min, p = 0.001), and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs demonstrated a 25% increase (32.1 ± 11.3 versus 40.2 ± 8.9 min, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Each surgeon must decide if the increase in operative duration caused by resident involvement is justified by the intangible benefits residents provide.