Surgeons Underestimate the Importance of Surgical Topics for Non-Surgeons: Results of a National Survey

Objective To determine if surgeons and non-surgeons agree on the importance of surgical topics covered in the surgical clerkship to the daily practice of non-surgeons. Design An IRB-approved anonymous survey ranking the relative importance of 35 topics drawn from surgical clerkship curricula asking physicians to rank the relative importance of each topic, using a five-point Likert scale, to the daily practice of non-surgeons. Setting Online anonymous survey. Participants Convenience sample of practicing physicians and trainees. The survey was offered to physicians in all specialties via social media and professional connections, responders identified their practice specialty. Results 295 physicians completed the survey. Two hundred thirty-one (85%) were from non-surgical specialties: emergency medicine (EM, n = 100); primary care (PC, n = 71 – included internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics); a variety of others (n = 60).  Surgeons and non-surgeons agreed on the relative importance of the acute abdomen, breast disease, inguinal hernias, inflammatory bowel disease, morbid obesity, sinusitis, thyroid and parathyroid disease, and wound care; surgeons believed colorectal cancer and diverticulitis to be more important. Surgeons rated all other topics as less important to non-surgeons than non-surgeons. EM rated most acute problems more important that PC; both groups ranked most topics higher importance to the practice of a non-surgeon than surgeons (p Conclusions Surgeons consistently underestimate the importance non-surgeons place on surgical topics in their practice.  These results reinforce the perceived importance of a wide exposure to surgery in the surgical clerkship to all medical students – but topics could be focused differently depending on acute or non-acute non-surgical care career plans.