Expected effects of the new continuing education regulations in general and visceral surgery : Survey among Bavarian surgeons and residents

Abstract

The new competency-based continuing education regulations for surgical training (WBO) came into effect in Bavaria in August 2022. From May to July 2022, we conducted an anonymized online survey among Bavarian general and visceral surgeons and surgical residents (ÄiW). The aim was to survey expectations of the effects of the new WBO. The response rate was 35%. In total data could be collected from 80persons, 36ÄiW (45%), 30specialists and senior physicians (37.5%) and 14chief physicians (17.5%). The majority of respondents worked at a university hospital (38.8%) or aregular provider (35%). Astrengthening of the competence to act through implementation of the new WBO is seen by 41.3% and 55.7% see independent operating under partial supervision by the instructor as agoal. Of the respondents 50% see the required case numbers as not achievable and 55.1% deny reaching them in the expected period of 6years. About 60% do not expect to be able to train the same number of ÄiWs in the same amount of time. Almost 75% of the respondents state that from their point of view, agood continuing education with the achievement of asolid competence to act would not work without overtime hours. About 44% of the respondents expect that afull surgical training would continue to be possible at their institution. Both among the instructors and among the trainees there is atendency to fear that realistic training, in particular the achievement of the guideline figures, will no longer be possible in the usual further training time. This necessitates the consistent implementation of structured continuing education with ahigh degree of transparency in training.