Journal Club

It is widely recognised that the design and conduct of high quality research in surgery faces many methodological and cultural challenges[i].  Several recommendations have recently been proposed in order to overcome these barriers, including the urgent need to better engage surgeons in research. Specifically, it has been suggested that trainees should be encouraged to participate in ongoing projects and that research-focused educational modules be incorporated into the surgical curriculum.  Inevitably, a solid foundation in research methods and critical appraisal will improve involvement in research projects but there is currently no model for how these developments will be delivered.   The ST3 level interview process involves an assessment of critical appraisal, however training in this skill is largely unstructured and occurs in an ad-hoc fashion.