Turkish Neurosurgery 2025 , Vol 35 , Num 3
Education in Neurosurgery - Evaluation of Neurosurgery Residency Training and Surgical Performance: A National Survey in Turkey
Tolga TURKMEN1,Caner UNLUER2,Sahin Kenan DENIZ3,Ahmet KAYHAN4,Ilker Deniz CINGOZ5,Yagmur Eylem OZKELES6,Can KIVRAK7,Efekan DORUK8,Hanside Setenay UNAL9,Ismail AKCIN10,Salih TATAROGLU11,Serhat GUNDOGDU12,Sima CEBECIK CAKIR13,Pelin KUZUCU14,for Turkish Young Neurosurgeons Board and Resident Representatives Committe
1Ministry of Health Dortyol State Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Hatay, Türkiye
2Ministry of Health Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara, Türkiye
3Ministry of Health Yozgat City Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Yozgat, Türkiye
4Ministry of Health Haseki Research and Training Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Türkiye
5Ministry of Health Usak Traning and Research Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Uşak, Türkiye
6Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Konya, Türkiye
7Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Türkiye
8Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Mersin, Türkiye
9Uludag University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Bursa, Türkiye
10Fırat University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Elazıg, Türkiye
11Karadenız Technical University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Trabzon, Türkiye
12Erzurum Ataturk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Erzurum, Türkiye
13Ministry of Health Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara, Türkiye
14Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara, Türkiye *Appendix
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.47455-24.2 AIM: To assess the number of independent surgical procedures performed, working hours, and satisfaction with training among residents in Turkey.

MATERIAL and METHODS: An electronic survey was sent to all neurosurgery residency in Turkey through e-mail and social media group. The survey, which includes 37 questions primaly encompassed independently performed surgical procedures, work hours (post-night shift rest), satisfaction of educational activities.

RESULTS: The responses were collected from n=276 participants, representing 35% of the entire residents. Responses came from 88% (73/83) of all training programs in Turkey. The independent application more than fifteen rate for low-risk interventions (External ventricular drain (EVD) /intracranial pressure (ICP)-monitoring, supratentorial craniotomy, lumbar drainage, laminectomy) was approximately 50% in PGY 3 and 80% in PGY 4&5. %50 of PGY 4&5 residents performed more than fifteen procedures for hematoma, shunting, lumbar disc disease, and thoracic-lumbar (TL) trauma surgery. Post-night shift rest is implemented in the majority of training programs, with data revealing that it is statistically more widely adopted in training and research hospitals compared to other educational programs. 84% of responders found post-night shift rest beneficial.

CONCLUSION: Post-night shift rest is implemented in the majority of training programs, and most residents find it beneficial. Only half of senior residents adequately apply general neurosurgery practices. However, it is predicted that resting after shifts could further shorten the overall training period and negatively impact the already low case numbers for residents. Therefore, it is crucial to organize and standardize training programs in a way that mitigates this negative effect. The fact that only a quarter of residents plan to practice their profession in Turkey raises serious concerns about the future sustainability of neurosurgical services at the national level. Keywords : Working hour restriction, Neurosurgery Residency, Satisfaction rate, Independently performed case, Turkish Neurosurgical Society, Turkish Young Neurosurgeons Board

Corresponding author : Pelin KUZUCU, drpelinkuzucu@gmail.com