Abstract
Objective
To present the first wide-scale survey to assess perceptions of testing the aging
neurosurgeon.
Patients and Methods
This study included 4899 neurosurgeons, 2435 American Board of Neurological Surgery
Diplomates participating in Maintenance of Certification (MOC), 1440 Diplomates certified
before 1999 (grandfathered), and 1024 retired Diplomates. We developed an online confidential
survey conducted from March 1, 2016, to May 31, 2016. We received 1449 responses overall
(30% response rate).
Results
Most respondents (938; 65%) were aged 50 years and older. Overall, most respondents
(718; 50%) believe that the aging neurosurgeon (65 years and older) should undergo
additional testing, including cognitive assessment or a review of cases, in addition
to a standard (MOC) examination. Nine hundred fifty-six (67%) respondents believed
that there should be no absolute age cutoff at which neurosurgical practice is forced
to end. Six hundred six (42%) respondents believed that MOC should be tailored to
accommodate the aging neurosurgeon. Most respondents (766; 59%) believed that MOC
should consist of a review individual case logs and patient outcomes for the aging
neurosurgeon.
Conclusion
Appropriately assessing the aging neurosurgeon is important to protect patient safety
and also maximize the capacity of an aging neurosurgical workforce. This first of
its kind survey of neurosurgeon diplomates of the American Board of Neurological Surgery
provides important information as to what mechanisms can be created to fairly evaluate
aging neurosurgeons. Although this is a study of neurosurgeons, the implications of
these findings are widely applicable across specialties, and additional research on
testing for aging and competency is needed across specialties.
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
ABNS (American Board of Neurological Surgery), ACS (American College of Surgeons), MOC (Maintenance of Certification)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: November 15, 2017
Footnotes
For editorial comment, see page 1741
Data Previously Presented: This study was presented at the 2017 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, October 7-11, 2017.
Grant Support: The work was supported by the American Board of Medical Specialties Visiting Scholars Program.
Potential Competing Interests: Drs Liau and Meyer serve on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Identification
Copyright
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