Digital Training Resources in the Dutch Surgical Residency Curricula and the Perspectives of Residents: A Thematic Analysis of Resident Interviews

Abstract

Digital training resources show great promise in augmenting traditional surgical education - especially in times of social distancing and limited surgical caseload. Embedding digital resources in surgical curricula is however not current, nor common practice in Dutch hospitals. While the digital world has become part of a resident's everyday life, surprisingly little is known about surgical residents' experiences and expectations towards use of digital resources for their own surgical education. This study aims to identify digital resources currently used in Dutch surgical curricula and to describe surgical residents' perspectives towards digital education. A series of semi-structured interviews with Dutch surgical residents were conducted until data sufficiency occurred. The interviews consisted of two parts: 1) current surgical training and implemented digital resources, and 2) future surgical training and the role of digital resources therein. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Sixteen surgical residents were interviewed - two out of each of the eight educational regions for surgery in the Netherlands. Five digital resource categories were identified and four general educational themes (requirements, advantages, disadvantages, and general education themes), overarching 13 sub-themes. In general, residents were enthusiastic with regard to using digital resources, especially when the perceived advantages supported their autonomy. Dutch surgical residents indicate that digital resources may support their educational experiences, but state that ideally they must be combined with much appreciated on-the-job training, and be offered to them tailored to their individual needs. No resources are considered to be a "magic bullet" in itself. The specific needs of residents and educators need to be addressed clearly in order to successfully adopt and implement digital resources on a larger scale.