Patient perspectives on optimal surgical resident care: a qualitative analysis of general surgery inpatient experiences

Surgical trainees are often the primary caregivers in the postoperative setting, yet patient feedback is not routinely incorporated into resident assessment despite the increasing use of patient satisfaction metrics in independent practice. The aim of this exploratory study is to identify the behaviors and characteristics that general surgery inpatients associate with optimal resident care.

English-speaking, general surgery inpatients recovering from elective general and oncologic surgery were purposively recruited to undergo semi-structured interviews regarding their experience and satisfaction with resident care. Interview transcripts were inductively analyzed by a multidisciplinary team to identify themes regarding the actions and qualities that patients perceive to be most desirable and important in their resident care providers.

Eighteen patients participated (56% men, mean age = 58.6 years). We identified five themes that patients indicated as essential and valued: (1) listening to and addressing patient concerns through shared decision-making, (2) establishing a bi-directional, personal connection between patient and resident, (3) portraying competence and confidence, (4) communicating clearly and consistently as an individual and in concert with other providers, and (5) putting the patient at ease with a personable bedside manner. A resident’s demonstration of these five themes was reported by patients to serve as evidence of providing the best possible care.

Patients report a set of characteristics and behaviors that they associate with optimal resident care. These results can inform new resident assessment methods such that they reflect the perspectives of patients themselves. Future work should aim to understand how to best incorporate patient evaluation into trainee assessment.