US residents experiences with intraoperative nerve monitoring in thyroid and parathyroid surgery

BackgroundUnderstanding the patterns of IONM use and training among resident otolaryngologists is essential to ensure that the IONM skills and knowledge gained in residency are optimized for successful future practice of IONM. MethodAn electronic survey was distributed to US-based OHNS residents. Questions evaluated resident experience, implementation, knowledge and understanding of IONM for endocrine surgeries. ResultsOne hundred and seven OHNS residents participated, spanning all training levels and US geographic locations. The majority of residents received no didactic teaching on IONM (74.5%) nor had a clear troubleshooting algorithm in the event of a loss of signal (69.8%). The majority of residents were uncertain regarding the advantages/disadvantages of continuous versus intermittent IONM. ConclusionThe knowledge gap found in our survey study suggests that greater teaching of IONM principles for endocrine head and neck surgeries in OHNS residency programs would help to ensure successful utilization in future practice.