Practical and Ethical Guidelines for the Involvement of Trainees in Global Surgery: Consensus Statement and Recommendations from the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons Global Surgery Work Group

BACKGROUND: The guidelines provided by US professional surgical organizations for involvement of trainees in global surgery are limited. The aim of this consensus statement is to provide surgical trainees with official recommendations from the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons Global Surgery Work Group (GSWG) regarding professional, practical, and ethical guidelines for participation in global surgery endeavors. STUDY DESIGN: A task force was created within the GSWG to review and define the scope of involvement of trainees in global surgery, and a consensus process was undertaken for the group at large to approve a set of proposed guidelines. RESULTS: The list of practical and ethical guidelines for the engagement of trainees in global surgery covering the themes of preparedness, reciprocity and collaboration, ethical considerations, and sustainability was approved with consensus from the GSWG. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus statement from the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons GSWG outlines the official recommendations for guidelines for involvement of trainees in global surgery, with an aim to support equitable, sustainable collaborations that center on improving access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care for the global community at large. Future processes seek to involve representation and perspectives from a larger body of low- to middle-income country surgical trainees. (J Am Coll Surg 2023;237:885-892. (c) 2023 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)