SP2.3 - Environmental and non-technical factors influence surgical trainees involvement in laparoscopic appendectomy in Northern Italy: a propensity score matching and survey based multicenter analysis

Abstract Aims Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is an index procedure for surgical residents (R). The trends of R involvement in LA can be a quality benchmark for residency programs. The impact of clinical and non-clinical factors on such trends is still undisclosed. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of LA performed by R in the largest Italian educational network and explore the decision-making behind R involvement in LA. Methods We extracted data from the RESIDENT-1 (R1) multicenter trial registry and performed a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to identify clinical and environmental differences according to the operator, surgeons(S) vs R. Additionally, to explore environmental and non-technical factors influencing the choice of the primary operator, we administered a survey to S and R in the R1 network. Results We enrolled 653 LA from October 2019 to October 2022, 234 (35.89%) were performed by R. We compared 231 per group after PSM. In academic hospitals and dedicated emergency surgery units LA were more frequently approached by R (57.14%vs26.84%, 51.08%vs19.05% p<0.001, respectively). The survey showed discrepant perspectives, R prioritize clinical factors, as the presence of complicated disease (25.53%vs.8.33%, p<0.015), whilst non-technical and environmental factors such as year of residency (63.1%vs.44.7%,p=0.05) and punctuality (47.2%vs.23.4%,p=0.041) were more important for S. Both groups agreed that a perioperative feedback system would improve the process of R involvement in LA. Conclusion Our study report a low rate of LA performed by R in northern Italy, primarily influenced by non-clinical factors. Furthermore, dedicated pathways and a well-structured perioperative teaching method could optimize the teaching process.