Assessment of Anesthesiology and General Surgery Residents’ Knowledge of HIV/AIDS & Implications for Residency Education

Study Objective: The authors were interested in ascertaining if educational modules pertaining to HIV/AIDS were offered to anesthesiology and general surgery residents and to assess the fund of knowledge related to HIV/AIDS. Design: An email with an electronically-linked survey was mailed to the program directors of all anesthesiology and general surgery programs in the U.S. approved by the ACGME. In addition, the respective residency directors were asked to complete a survey regarding HIV/AIDS education. Setting: The study was conducted in anesthesiology and general surgery residency programs in the U.S. Subjects: The subjects were anesthesiology and general surgery residents, as well as residency program directors of both specialties. Interventions: Interventions consisted of survey questions and associated responses to the 16-question (residents) and 6-question (program directors) surveys. Measurements: Correctness of responses was recorded on all questions of the surveys; descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were performed. Main Results: The majority of anesthesiology (86%) and general surgery (87%) residents responded that they had not received any formal education pertaining to HIV/AIDS. Although both groups demonstrated a basic fund of knowledge of HIV/AIDS, more detailed questions led to higher incorrect responses between the two groups. Both groups of residents (anesthesiology ? 89%; general surgery ? 87%) believed that they would benefit from additional HIV/AIDS education during their training. The majority of anesthesiology and general surgery programs do not provide formal didactic or clinical training modules related to HIV/AIDS, but they personally believe this to be an important issue that warrants education during training. Conclusions: This nationwide survey demonstrated that anesthesiology and general surgery residents in the U.S. lack formalized education in HIV/ AIDS, and they admit that this education is desired during their training. The authors of this study recommend that formal educational modules pertaining to HIV/AIDS be implemented during residency.