Regular accredited laparoscopic surgeon interventions improve gynecologist disincentives and attitudes in a local hospital: a questionnaire-based study.

Abstract

Objective: Minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopy, is used in many hospitals across Japan. However, this technique in not used to its full capacity, especially in local hospitals, such as those of the Nagano prefecture. Laparoscopic surgery was introduced in our hospital in 2008.

Predominantly, laparoscopic operations for benign ovarian tumors were performed until 2015. Since January 2016, a lead surgeon from another hospital has been regularly educating gynecologists at our hospital about laparoscopic surgery. We have also begun performing total laparoscopic hysterectomies (TLHs) and laparoscopic myomectomies (LMs), and the frequency of laparoscopic surgeries at our hospital has increased remarkably, from about 8 to 52 cases per year. We aspire to learn how to change the motivation of gynecologists and nurses through changing incentives before 2015 and after implementation of lead surgeon education in 2016.

Design: We prepared questionnaires about changes in laparoscopic surgery incentives for gynecologists and nurses before 2015 and after 2016.

Setting: This report analyzed the results of the questionnaire surveys from 5 gynecologists and 75 nurses. We compared the desire for laparoscopic surgery, preparation for the operation, and impression on the attitude of the doctors before 2015 and after 2016.

Primary Outcomes: Although we suspected that nurses may be frustrated by the long operation times, our analysis showed that nurses had a relatively good impression of the gynecologists. No serious problems were identified.

Results: Regular performance of laparoscopic surgeries with a lead surgeon allows good collaboration between co-medical partners.