Perspectives on Laparoscopic Surgery Among Chinese General Surgery Residents: Single-Site Survey Study with Instructive Lessons for Program Directors and Teaching Hospitals

Background To assess resident perspectives on laparoscopic surgery and how it might differ compared to open surgery. Materials and Methods Anonymous surveys were sent to residents who came to hepatic surgery service rotation during Sep 2013 to Aug 2017. Statistical comparisons were conducted using student T-test, comparing mean satisfaction and preferences. Results A total of 80 residents responded to the survey, distributed across the spectrum of training levels. Of the 80 respondents, 9 were in their first year of training, while 18, 41, and 12 were in their second, third, or fourth years of training, respectively. Among them, there were 11 residents were not included in the final analysis. Residents indicated that they preferred open procedures for conferring greater exposure to operating (7.172 ± 1.4646 for open vs 4.414 ± 2.1442 for laparoscopy, p < 0.001). Residents indicated that laparoscopic procedures were preferred in aiding in understanding of the surgical procedure (6.814 ± 1.3323 for open vs 7.407 ± 1.3014 for laparoscopy, p = 0.016). Conclusions These results suggest that residents prefer open procedures for hands-on experience, while laparoscopic procedures confer the advantage of facilitating the learning of a surgical procedure. This provides an opportunity for intervention, as minimally invasive surgeries(MIS) are a major component of modern surgical practice and, therefore, must be an area of strength in the training of surgical residents.