Incorporation of evidence-based surgery into the curriculum

Surgeons have historically learned their craft through the apprenticeship model from their mentors. Knowledge and practices acquired this way can rapidly become outdated. Providing high-quality care to patients requires surgeons to keep their knowledge up to date in line with evolving new evidence. The principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and its application to surgery, evidence-based surgery (EBS), are pivotal in updating and refining surgical practice. Changing from the conventional practice of surgical education to a structured evidence-based format requires a transformative process in all the levels of surgical practice encompassing trainees and trainers. Equally important is providing an optimal environment to review the evidence and deliver the surgical teaching and incorporate effective assessment tools to monitor the process. In this article, we revisit the levels of evidence and explore the different issues related to EBS such as barriers to EBS, incorporation of EBS to the surgical curriculum and discuss practical ways to implement EBS in the surgical curriculum.