Defining the Clinical Informatics Knowledge Gap in General Surgery: Evaluation of Resident Experience and Perspectives

OBJECTIVE: Despite the growing prominence of clinical informatics (CI) in surgical practice, general surgery residents receive limited formal training in this field. We aimed to define key educational opportunities by assessing general surgery resident knowledge, perceptions, and experience in CI. DESIGN: Survey study assessing resident demographics, prior informatics experience, perception of CI's importance in key areas of surgical practice, and interest in informatics education topics. SETTING: General surgery training programs at 7 academic institutions. PARTICIPANTS: General surgery residents in all postgraduate training levels, with a total of 146/406 (36%) participants. RESULTS: Residents expressed lack of familiarity with CI, with (64%) self-describing as “aware but inexperienced”. Few residents reported prior informatics experience (26%) or medical school training (16%). Residents expressed interest in informatics education, particularly in electronic health record (EHR) workflow optimization, artificial intelligence, and EHR utilization for research. Informatics familiarity moderately correlated with perceived importance of CI (Pearson's r = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: General surgery residents recognize the importance of CI in surgical practice but lack training and experience in this field, highlighting future educational opportunities. These findings underscore the necessity of structured CI training to prepare surgeons for the evolving world of healthcare technology.