Hospital Service Volume as an Indicator of Treatment Patterns for Colorectal Cancer.

Introduction: A hospital's approach (volume of cancer treatment services provided) to treating metastatic colorectal cancer influences a patient's treatment as strongly as patient disease status. The implications of hospital-level treatment approaches across disease stages remain understudied. We sought to determine if hospital service volume (SV) for metastatic colorectal cancer could be predictive of nonstandard treatment patterns in stages I-III colon cancer.

Perceptions of general surgery residents at military treatment facilities: Excellent training with crisis of confidence.

Background: The declining operative volume at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) has resulted in Program Directors finding alternate civilian sites for resident rotations. The continued shift away from MTFs for surgical training is likely to have unintended negative consequences.

Methods: An anonymous survey was generated and sent to the program directors of military general surgery training programs for distribution to their residents.

Identifying Trusted Sources of Lyme Disease Prevention Information Among Internet Users Connected to Academic Public Health Resources: Internet-Based Survey Study.

Background: Misinformation about Lyme disease and other tick-transmitted pathogens circulates frequently on the internet and can compete with, or even overshadow, science-based guidance on tick-borne disease (TBD) prevention.

Objective: We surveyed internet users connected to academic tick-related resources to identify trusted sources of Lyme disease prevention information, explore confidence in tick bite prevention information, and examine associations of these responses with answers to commonly disputed issues.

Methods: The survey was conducted through social media and website pages for Western Connecticut State University Tickborne Disease Prevention Laboratory and the University of Rhode Island TickEncounter Resource Center.

Intentional enterotomies: validation of a novel robotic surgery training exercise.

While laparoscopic simulation-based training is a well-established component of general surgery training, no such requirement or standardized curriculum exists for robotic surgery. Furthermore, there is a lack of high-fidelity electrocautery simulation training exercises in the literature. Using Messick's validity framework, we sought to determine the content, response process, internal content and construct validity of a novel inanimate tissue model that utilizes electrocautery for potential incorporation in such curricula.

Outcomes of Partial Versus Total Colectomy in Ulcerative Colitis: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Introduction: Total abdominal colectomy (TAC) with ileostomy is the standard treatment for severe ulcerative colitis (UC). Partial colectomy (PC) with colostomy may present a less morbid treatment option.

Methods: The 2012-19 ACS-NSQIP database was queried to assess 30-day outcomes among patients undergoing TAC versus PC for UC, utilizing propensity score matching (PSM) techniques to account for differences in disease severity, patient selection, and presentation acuity.