Neonatal circumcisions performed by pediatric residents: implementation of a training program.

OBJECTIVE: To implement a pilot training program on neonatal circumcisions for pediatric residents in a residency training program, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in improving knowledge and skills in performing circumcisions.

DESIGN: Educational curriculum.

SETTING: The mother-baby unit of a tertiary care university medical center.

PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen pediatric residents in training.

INTERVENTION: A 1-month circumcision-training program.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Successful completion of the training program, change in mean knowledge scores, and change in attitudes regarding circumcision.

RESULTS: All 19 residents successfully completed the pilot program. Residents were enthusiastic about the opportunity to train in performing circumcisions. The mean test scores on the content items increased significantly from 5.0 (SD, 1.8) before training to 8.3 (SD, 1.0) after training (P <.003). After training, there were significant changes in residents' attitudes regarding giving anesthesia for the procedure and the medical indications for performing routine circumcisions.

CONCLUSIONS: Given a structured curriculum, pediatric residents can be taught to safely and successfully perform neonatal circumcisions with adequate technical competency and pain relief skills. Training results in increased knowledge and increased level of comfort in performing this routine procedure.