J. D. Forrester1, M. L. Melcher1 1Stanford University,Surgery,Palo Alto, CA, USA
Introduction:
Expressing ideas, decisions, and research findings clearly in writing is an essential skill for surgeons in leadership and academic positions. An intriguing consequence of the 80-hour work week is the possibility for increased academic productivity among surgical residents. We hypothesized that graduating chief residents would have a greater publication frequency after work-hour restriction implementation.
Methods:
Names of graduating chief residents from 1983 to 2013 from a single academic institution were cross-referenced with SCOPUS identification numbers to determine first-author publication frequency. Publication frequency of residents graduating before 2003 were compared to those graduating after 2003 accounting for gender distribution and graduating resident volume. Statistical evaluation was performed using Epi Info™ Version 7.1.1.14 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) and comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test or Fisher’s Exact where appropriate.
Results:
From 1983 to 2013, 116 graduating chief residents produced 153 first-author publications. There were a median 0.5 publications per resident (range [0-12], n=90) graduating before 2003, and there were a median 2 publications per resident (range [0-16], n=63) graduating in 2003 or later. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.014).
Conclusions:
A statistically significant difference in the publication frequency of resident graduating before 2003 and those graduating after 2003 was observed at a single academic institution. Surgical residents graduate with a wide range of publications suggesting that there are opportunities for intervention to help residents with fewer publications. Educational programs directed at improving resident writing could promote additional academic productivity.