Having a trainee surgeon in operations is safe -study

(Reuters) – When a surgeon-in-training, or resident, takes part in an operation, the patient’s risk of serious complications appears to be no greater than normal, according to a recently published U.S. study. Looking at data about more than 60,000 surgeries conducted in the United States between 2005 and 2007, researchers whose findings appeared in the Annals of Surgery said that when a resident was involved, just under 6 percent of patients had a major complication such as severe bleeding or a serious infection. The rate was the same for surgeries in which no residents participated. …