Aus- und Weiterbildung in der gastrointestinalen Endoskopie: Was muss gefordert werden, was sind die Voraussetzungen?

Abstract

Training and Continuing Education in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: What Must Be Demanded, What Are the Prerequisites Future heads of interdisciplinary or monodisciplinary endoluminal endoscopic units as well as physician endoscopists will have to satisfy high demands on their diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic skills. Certification for endoscopic privileges and continuous education need sustainable training and quality assurance. To achieve such goals, endoscopic skills should be measurable for assessment and not learned on patients alone. Also the number of procedures performed in any endoscopic technique should not be the only variable for assessing the quality of an endoscopist. New simulators for endoscopic training offer a completely new approach to a structured curriculum for gastrointestinal endoscopy. Computer- based simulation has a great potential to support basic manual skills in diagnostic endoscopy and may help to recognize pathologic lesions. The introduction of simulators using specially prepared animal organs has also made it possible to teach interventional endoscopic procedures step by step in an interprofessional team approach (physicians and assistants). Experienced tutors will both teach and evaluate students using validated assessment instruments as has been shown for endoscopic hemostasis. Growing experience will help us to develop new curricula for diagnostic and interventional endoscopy, which will increase safety for our patients, secure an interprofessional approach and offer continuous and documented assessment. This development will without any doubt also open new avenues for improved quality assurance in gastrointestinal endoscopy.