title: Residency program trainee-satisfaction correlate with results of the European board examination in neurosurgery.
abstract: Substantial country differences in neurosurgical training throughout Europe have recently been described, ranging from subjective rating of training quality to objective working hours per week. The aim of this study was to analyse whether these differences translate into the results of the written and oral part of the European Board Examination in Neurological Surgery (EBE-NS).
  
  
  
  Country-specific composite scores for satisfaction with quality of theoretical and practical training, as well as working hours per week, were obtained from an electronic survey distributed among European neurosurgical residents between June 2014 and March 2015. These were related to anonymous country-specific results of the EBE-NS between 2009 and 2016, using uni- and multivariate linear regression analysis.
  
  
  
  A total of n = 1025 written and n = 63 oral examination results were included. There was a significant linear relationship between the country-specific EBE-NS result in the written part and the country-specific composite score for satisfaction with quality of theoretical training [adjusted regression coefficient (RC) -3.80, 95 % confidence interval (CI) -5.43-7 -2.17, p < 0.001], but not with practical training or working time. For the oral part, there was a linear relationship between the country-specific EBE-NS result and the country-specific composite score for satisfaction with quality of practical training (RC 9.47, 95 % CI 1.47-17.47, p = 0.021), however neither with satisfaction with quality of theoretical training nor with working time.
  
  
  
  With every one-step improvement on the country-specific satisfaction score for theoretical training, the score in the EBE-NS Part 1 increased by 3.8 %. With every one-step improvement on the country-specific satisfaction score for practical training, the score in the EBE-NS Part 2 increased by 9.47 %. Improving training conditions is likely to have a direct positive influence on the knowledge level of trainees, as measured by the EBE-NS. The effect of the actual working time on the theoretical and practical knowledge of neurosurgical trainees appears to be insignificant.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery and Faculté de Médicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. mnstienen@gmail.com.|Service de Neurochirurgie, Département des Neurosciences Cliniques, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil 4, 1205, Genève, Suisse. mnstienen@gmail.com.
authors: Martin N
authors: MN
authors: Stienen
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Charles University, 1st Medical Faculty, Central Military Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Netuka
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
authors: Andreas K
authors: AK
authors: Demetriades
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.|Department of Neurosurgery, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Ringel
authors: Department of Neurosurgery and Faculté de Médicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.|Service de Neurochirurgie, Département des Neurosciences Cliniques, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil 4, 1205, Genève, Suisse.
authors: Oliver P
authors: OP
authors: Gautschi
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors: Jens
authors: J
authors: Gempt
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Kuhlen
authors: Department of Neurosurgery and Faculté de Médicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.|Service de Neurochirurgie, Département des Neurosciences Cliniques, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil 4, 1205, Genève, Suisse.
authors: Karl
authors: K
authors: Schaller
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Board examination; Country difference; EANS; European Board Examination; Neurosurgery education; Quality; Residency; Trainee satisfaction; Training