Where do we start? the first survey of surgical residency education in Japan

Background Currently, Japan does not have a national standardized program for surgical residency. Therefore, surgical education information and strategies are not shared among teaching hospitals. This was the first study aiming to clarify the current situation of surgical residency in Japan. Methods A questionnaire survey investigating the present situation of surgical residency was sent to the 76 teaching hospitals in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Results The response rate was 64.5%. Data from the 36 hospitals with active residency programs were analyzed. Most of the program directors (79.4%) were in charge of educational work for less than 5 hours per week. Although half of the hospitals had skills laboratories or simulation centers, only 2 used them routinely for their residency program. Half of the hospitals evaluated the residents' competency and the quality of their educational programs. Conclusions Structured programs and evaluation systems have not been integrated well into surgical residency in Japan.