D. M. Carmona Matos1,2, B. Herring1, M. Mandabach1, Z. Aburjania1, A. Chang1, A. Janssen1, H. Chen1, B. L. Corey1 1University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Department Of Surgery,Birmingham, Alabama, USA 2San Juan Bautista School of Medicine,Caguas, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Introduction: As Surgical Grand Rounds (SGR) have paralleled the evolution of medicine over time, so have the needs of an increasingly diverse group of physicians and trainees. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors (topic, rank, gender) that may alter attendance to SGR to facilitate the development of SGR that can better meet the needs of the physician workforce.
Methods: Descriptive data of SGR attendees, speakers, and topics were obtained over the course of 10 months. Each presentation was categorized into the following topics: Education, Healthcare Management and Administration (HM&A), Professionalism, Research, and Treatment Strategies. The total mean attendance and attendance of each academic rank to SGR on topic categories was determined. Academic ranks included Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Fellows, Residents, and Students. Further, the respective attendance of males and females to SGR by topic category was determined, then evaluated via chi-square test. Lastly, the average attendance of males and females to SGR given by males/females was calculated and evaluated via chi-square test.
Results: The mean attendance was highest (116) for SGR on HM&A, while lowest (81) for SGR on Education. The highest/lowest mean attendance to SGR topics by academic rank are as follows: Professors- [Professionalism]/[Education], Associate Professors- [HM&A, Professionalism]/[Education, Research], Assistant Professors- [HM&A]/[Treatment Strategies], Fellows- [HM&A]/[Professionalism, Treatment Strategies], Residents- [Research]/[Treatment Strategies], Students- [Professionalism]/[Education]. While there was no significant difference in attendance within SGR topic categories by gender (p=0.8), the mean attendance of females to SGR given by M/F speakers was 31/30, while the mean attendance of males was 68/56 (p=.04), respectively.
Conclusion: Marked differences exist in both total attendance to SGR on topic categories and attendance to SGR on topic categories within academic ranks. Further, although the difference in attendance within SGR topic categories by genders was not significant, the difference in male attendance to SGR presented by M/F was. These findings identify trends that can be used to tailor SGR in the future to better serve physicians and students throughout their careers