Abstract
Objective: There is a clear need for improved quality of research publications in the area of cardiothoracic surgical education. With the goals of enhancing the power, rigor, and strength of educational investigations, the Thoracic Education Cooperative Group seeks to outline key concepts in successfully conducting such research. Methods: Literature and established guidelines for conduct of research in surgical education were reviewed, and recommendations were developed for investigators in thoracic surgical education. Results: Key steps in educational research are highlighted and discussed with regard to their application to cardiothoracic surgical education. Specifically, advice is provided in terms of developing a research question, educational methodology, ethical issues, and handling power and sample sizes. Additional caveats of educational research that are addressed include aspects of validity, survey conduct, and simulation research. Conclusions: Educational research can serve to enhance the practices and careers of current trainees, our scientific community, and thoracic surgical educators. To optimize the quality of such educational research, it is imperative that teachers, innovators, and contributors to academic scholarship in our field familiarize themselves with key steps in conducting educational studies.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 820-827.e1 |
Journal | Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery |
Volume | 157 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2019 |
Funding
The authors thank the supporting members of TECoG for their ongoing participation in the conduct of high-quality educational research and the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association for their support of TECoG. The Thoracic Education Cooperative Group received administrative support from the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association.
Keywords
- cardiothoracic surgery
- education research
- surgical education
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine