Who manages burn injuries in children? A program director survey evaluating burn training during pediatric surgery fellowship

Abstract

PurposeBurn is one of the leading causes of injury and death in children. Currently, the Residency Review Committee does not require general surgery residents to rotate on a burn service. With many trainees no longer receiving burn training during residency, we sought to evaluate the exposure to burn management in pediatric surgery training programs. Material and methodsAn electronic survey was sent to program directors at accredited pediatric surgery training programs (56) during the 2020 academic year. Case log reviews were performed for 2005-2019. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. ResultsThirty-six program directors participated in the survey (64%), and 56% reported having an inpatient and outpatient component for burn management. Nearly 20% of program directors reported having no burn management at their institution. Fifty-four percent of responding programs had fellow participation in burn management. Over a fifteen-year period, case logs identified a median of 0–2 burn cases logged each year for graduating fellows. Logistically, 65% of burn centers relied on general pediatric surgeons for management. ConclusionPediatric surgery trainee involvement in burn management varies with many programs offering no designated burn training. Increasing exposure to pediatric burn management during training is needed to provide improved care for this patient population. Level of evidenceIII, Retrospective Review