General Surgery Board Review Research & Evidence-Based Practice 4

Question 1

Which ethical principle is most directly upheld by requiring written informed consent before enrolling a patient in a surgical trial?

Accepted Answer

Autonomy

Answer

Informed consent respects patient autonomy by ensuring individuals voluntarily agree to participate with full understanding of risks and alternatives.

Question 2

A 'pragmatic' RCT design differs from an 'explanatory' RCT primarily in that it:

Accepted Answer

Evaluates interventions under real-world clinical conditions

Answer

Pragmatic trials evaluate effectiveness in routine clinical practice rather than efficacy under tightly controlled conditions.

Question 3

Heterogeneity in a meta-analysis is quantified by the I² statistic. An I² of 75% indicates:

Accepted Answer

Substantial heterogeneity suggesting caution in interpreting the pooled estimate

Answer

I² > 50–75% indicates substantial heterogeneity, which means study results vary considerably and the pooled estimate must be interpreted cautiously.

Question 4

A surgeon designing a study to evaluate a rare complication (incidence 2%) after hernia repair needs to detect a 50% relative risk reduction. This study will most likely require:

Accepted Answer

A very large sample size due to low event rate

Answer

Low baseline event rates require large sample sizes to have adequate power to detect clinically meaningful differences.

Question 5

The Hawthorne effect in surgical research refers to:

Accepted Answer

Patients changing their behavior because they know they are being studied

Answer

The Hawthorne effect occurs when study participants alter their behavior because they are aware of being observed, potentially confounding results.

General Surgery Board Review Practice Test

General Surgery Board Review Practice Test

General Surgery Board Review Research & Evidence-Based Practice 4