Our paediatric surgery research, led by Professor Spencer Beasley, spans developmental biology, clinical practice, surgical education, and healthcare innovation, with a focus on improving outcomes for children with complex conditions.
This work integrates studies of congenital anomalies with clinical research, advances simulation-based training, and extends to health service delivery, sustainability, and the factors influencing evidence-based care - supporting both clinical excellence and system-wide improvement.
Primary contact:
Professor Spencer Beasley
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Key research themes
Below is a snapshot of our current research themes and major projects.
Evidence-based practice and sustainability in surgery
This work examines alignment of practice with evidence and sustainability, including:
- Evaluation of practices such as routine double-gloving
- Balancing clinical benefit, cost, and environmental impact
Ongoing research explores barriers and behavioural factors influencing adoption of evidence-based practices.
Health service delivery and outreach impact
Research evaluates how service design affects outcomes and access, including:
- Assessment of paediatric surgical outreach programmes
- Impact on clinical outcomes, access to care, and cost efficiency
- Understanding why evidence is a poor driver of change in medicine and surgery
Findings support delivering high-quality surgical care closer to home.
Paediatric surgical outcomes and clinical research
Clinical research aims to improve surgical outcomes and long-term wellbeing in children, including:
- Predictors of outcomes and complications after herniotomy and orchidopexy
- Use of operative findings (e.g. hernial sac characteristics) to assess contralateral hernia risk
- Long-term outcome evaluation and benchmark complication rates
Additional studies focus on:
- Quality of life after laparoscopic ACE procedures
- Predictors of outcomes following laparoscopic appendicectomy
- Effect of configuration of regional service on outcomes and costs to families
Simulation, innovation and surgical training technology
This theme develops tools to support training in complex, low-frequency procedures, including:
- 3D-printed models for oesophageal atresia repair
- Simulation platforms for thoracoscopic and open techniques
- Integration of simulator training into new technology, including robotic surgery in children
These approaches enable safe skill development, provide objective feedback, and offer cost-effective, portable, and ethical alternatives to traditional training.
Surgical education and clinical decision-making
Research aims to improve training quality and clinical judgement through:
- Analysis of factors influencing trainee progression
- Evaluation of operative logbooks as training measures
It also explores:
- Cognitive processes behind expert decision-making
- Development of structured programmes in clinical decision-making and surgical leadership