title: Which types of peripheral nerve blocks should be included in residency training programs?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the increasing use of regional anesthesia, specific recommendations regarding the type of procedures to be included in residency training programs are not currently available. We aimed to determine the nerve block techniques that practicing Chilean anesthesiologists perceived as essential to master during residency training.
  
  
  METHODS
  After institutional ethics committee approval, an online survey was sent to 154 anesthesiologists that graduated between 2005-2012, from the two largest university residency programs in Chile. Multiple-choice questions elicited responses concerning the use of regional anesthesia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 109 questionnaires were completed, which corresponded to a response rate of 70.8%. Almost all (98.2%) of the respondents used regional anesthesia in their clinical practice, 86.7% regularly performed peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) and 51% used continuous PNB techniques. Residency programs represented their primary source of training. The most common PNB techniques performed were interscalene (100%), femoral (98%), popliteal sciatic (93%), and Bier block (90%). Respondents indicated that they were most confident performing femoral (98%), Bier block (90%), interscalene (90%), and popliteal sciatic (85%) blocks. The PNBs perceived as essential for their actual clinical practice were femoral (81%), interscalene (80%), popliteal sciatic (76%), and Bier blocks (62%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Requesting information from former anesthesiology residents may be a source of information, guiding the specific types of PNBs that should be included in residency training. Other groups can easily replicate this methodology to create their own evidence and clinical practice based guidelines for residency training programs.
authors: División de Anestesiología, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors: Marcia A
authors: MA
authors: Corvetto
authors: División de Anestesiología, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile ; Department of Anesthesiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors: Ghislaine C
authors: GC
authors: Echevarria
authors: Departmento de Anestesiología, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors: Ana M
authors: AM
authors: Espinoza
authors: División de Anestesiología, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors: Fernando R
authors: FR
authors: Altermatt
mesh_terms: D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000193:education*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002677:Chile; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D009407:Nerve Block; D010525:Peripheral Nerves
keywords: Medical education; Peripheral nerve blocks; Survey