An observational study in Early Career Surgeons, Mental Wellbeing and Patients Outcomes, sponsored by Niguarda Hospital. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-17.
Sponsored by Niguarda Hospital · Observational
This multicenter observational prospective study aims to explore the impact of peri-operative support measures (mentorship or coaching or intraoperative consultation) on the mental well-being of early career surgeons. Furthermore sub-analyses will be conducted to explore the impact that surgeons mental wellbeing related to different support measures could have on patients' outcomes
The MICROSCOPE study is a prospective, international, observational project evaluating the impact of structured perioperative support-mentorship, intraoperative consultation (IOC), and surgical coaching-on the well-being of early-career surgeons and their patients' outcomes.
Early-career surgeons (within 10 years post-training) face high stress, with limited structured support. This study investigates whether professional guidance improves surgeon resilience, reduces burnout, and enhances performance.
The project includes two components:
Surgeon-level study: Participants are observed over 12 months and grouped by support type received. Mental health outcomes are assessed using validated tools (Maslach Burnout Inventory, CD-RISC-10, QoL scale), alongside self- and assistant-rated performance metrics.
Patient-level study: Adult patients operated on by enrolled surgeons during the first 3 months are followed for 90 days. Outcomes include postoperative complications (CCI®, Clavien-Dindo), intraoperative events (Satava), reoperation, readmission, and mortality.
Data are collected via REDCap and analyzed using adjusted mixed-effects models to account for clustering and confounders. The study is investigator-initiated, with no external funding, and adheres to ethical standards including local IRB approval and informed consent.
MICROSCOPE aims to generate real-world evidence on how structured support can improve both surgical care quality and surgeon well-being.
Niguarda Hospital is the lead sponsor of 68 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Early career surgeons: graduating in general surgery in the last 10 years Surgeons performing elective general surgery, emergency general surgery and trauma surgery
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Early career surgeons mental wellbeing status in terms of burnout, resilience and perceived quality of life will be observed exploring the relationship with the peri-operative support measure received (mentorship, intraoperative consultation, surgical coaching or standard practice). Also the outcomes of patients operated on by early career surgeons will be studied. Furthermore potential relationship between perio-operative supporto measures, mental status and outcomes will be explored.
Behavioral: Peri-operative support measures [mentorship, intraoperative consult, surgical coaching, standard practice (no structured support)]
Mentorship: Formal (assigned by an institution or via an official program) or informal (personal relationship built during the career pathway) professional guidance relationships that support early-career surgeons in clinical decision-making, technical development, and emotional processing. Surgical Coaching: Structured, feedback-oriented discussions or sessions aimed at performance enhancement and reflective practice Intraoperative Consultation (IOC): Real-time assistance or second opinions provided by a more experienced surgeon or peers during a surgical procedure Standard practice: the surgeon performs the procedure supported by one or multiple assistants, as per internal hospital protocols and national/local regulations, receiving and providing natural feedback without a structured support system.
Burnout: Emotional Exhaustion
Maximun score 48. High scores relate to higher Emotional Exhaustion, contributing to higher burnout
Time frame: Baseline, Perioperative, 3 months, 6 months
Burnout: Depersonalization
Depersonalizzation (DP) considering the treshold of 10 points from the Maslach Burnout Inventory
Time frame: Baseline, Perioperative, 3 months, 6 months
Psychological resilience
Maximum score 40. High scores relate to higher resilience, contributing to potentially higher well-being
Time frame: Baseline, Perioperative, 3 months, and 6 months
Perceived Surgical Performance
Sefl evaluation by the surgeon using a 5-point Likert scale (1) a procedure that did not go well at all, (2) a procedure that could have gone better, (3) a regular procedure, (4) a successful procedure, (5) a highly successful procedure
Time frame: Perioperative
Perceived Surgical Performance by the assistant
Evaluation by the assistant using a 5-point Likert scale (1) a procedure that did not go well at all, (2) a procedure that could have gone better, (3) a regular procedure, (4) a successful procedure, (5) a highly successful procedure
Time frame: Perioperative
Plan to share: Yes — The MICROSCOPE project is committed to ensuring reproducibility and transparency in its research practices. To support this, the following measures will be implemented: The study protocol and statistical analysis plan (SAP) will be registered and publicly available on Clinicaltrials.gov upon study initiation. Core study instruments will be documented and shared as supplementary materials in publications where possible. Statistical code used for primary and secondary outcome analyses will be made available upon reasonable request, subject to data-sharing agreements and institutional approvals. Deidentified, aggregate-level data may be shared with external collaborators for secondary analysis, conditional on ethical approval and collaborative agreements.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Clinical study report, Analytic code
Time frame: After data collection completion, at least 12 months after study start date and for 1 year after then.
Access criteria: Upon reasonable request to the study principal investigator
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Jun 2026; primary completion for Sep 2027, 15 months later.
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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Niguarda Hospital