Preoperative goal setting and perioperative communication in an academic training institution: Where do we stand?

Abstract Background We collected data regarding specific aspects of perioperative surgical education within our institution's Section of Surgical Sciences as a needs assessment. Methods Categorical general surgery residents and attending surgeons were queried regarding their perceptions of resident preoperative planning and perioperative communication. Results The overall response rate was 81%, with 35 resident and 54 faculty respondents. Residents reported selecting an operative learning objective a median of 50% (IQR 36–67) of the time, whereas attending surgeons perceived this to be the case a median of 26% (IQR 15–35) of the time (P  Conclusions This study demonstrates deficits in resident goal setting and perioperative communication within our program, which are targets for future intervention. We share these results as a potential tool for other programs.