Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellows' Self-Assessment of Endoscopy Skills

Abstract

Background: Endoscopy is a fundamental skill learned during a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship. The aim of this study was to determine the number of procedures performed during fellowship and to evaluate a trainee's self-perceived competency of their endoscopic skills. Methods: A survey link was emailed to the NASPGHAN PEDI GI Fellows listserv composed of 372 fellows. Procedural count of eight routine procedures and a visual analogue scale measuring fellow's self-perceived competency for each procedure were evaluated. The data was collected and stored using REDCap. Findings: One hundred sixty-seven fellows (45%) completed the survey: 28% first year, 41% second year, and 31% third year. 50% or fewer of third-year fellows felt competent and met the complete procedural number thresholds recommended by the 2013 NASPGHAN training guidelines for routine procedures except for diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Subjects felt competent regarding colonoscopy but only 24% reached the threshold. There was no difference in EGD counts between small vs large training programs (p=0·51). Therapeutic endoscopy scored the lowest on self-reported competency scale. Interpretation: study showed that a majority of third-year trainees feel competent regarding EGD and colonoscopy skills, but only reached threshold counts in EGD. Although pediatric gastroenterologists and trainees are thought to perform safe and effective gastrointestinal endoscopy, this data suggests that time could be changed to emphasize other procedural training. Additional research should be completed in this area to evaluate the value of self-reported competency and to consider revision of the 2013 NASPGHAN training guidelines to reflect current practice. Funding Statement: The authors declare: sources of funding exist for either author. Declaration of Interests: No conflicts of interest exist for Heidi E. Hagerott. Joel Friedlander is president, chief medical officer, and co-founder of Triple Endoscopy, Inc. He is also inventor on patent pending US 62/184,077, PCT/US2016/039352, AU201683112, CA 2,990,182, EU 16815420.1, JP 2017-566710, US 15/850,939, US 15/853,521, US15/887,438, US 62/680,798 related to endoscopic methods and technologies. Ethics Approval Statement: The authors state: This study met criteria for IRB exemption.