Practice gaps in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery (2011): a report from the Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Continuing Education Committee

Abstract

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) [1] had its first scientific meeting in the 1980 s and has grown since to represent a worldwide community of over 6,000 surgeons and other health-care professionals who bring minimal access surgery, endoscopy, and emerging techniques to patients across the world. As part of its mission, SAGES has developed and implemented an overarching educational program to help its members improve outcomes for patients who require minimally invasive and endoscopic procedures. The program’s continuing medical education (CME) objectives are to assist surgeons in (1) improving knowledge of gastrointestinal and related diseases, (2) assessing current and emerging surgical therapies, (3) acquiring competence to perform and teach appropriate therapies, and (4) measuring effectiveness of therapies in terms of outcomes. The SAGES Annual Meeting has evolved into the major platform for CME activities and services offered by SAGES, with over 2,000 attendees. Teaching forums include scientific sessions, poster sessions, symposia, didactic postgraduate courses, and hands-on laboratory training sessions. In addition to the Annual Meeting, coendorsed programs and online educational materials through SAGES University [2] contribute to the comprehensive CME program provided by the society. The SAGES Continuing Education Committee is charged with maintaining compliance with Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) requirements overall and for individual CME programs. The ACCME accreditation process requires that ‘‘CME providers incorporate into CME activities the educational needs that underlie the professional practice gaps of their own learners’’ [3]. The ACCME also emphasizes that CME providers must show ‘‘that planning includes the identification of a professional practice gap from which needs were identified’’ [3]. SAGES identifies practice gaps through analysis of survey data collected at the Annual Meeting and at 3-month follow-up. Through this process a ‘‘Gaps Bank’’ has been created and maintained to inform the Executive Committee, Board of Governors, and program leaders about members’ self-identified learning needs as upcoming meeting topics are outlined. In addition, Session Chairs and speakers utilize the Gaps Bank when selecting and formulating specific didactic topics and associated learning objectives. This report summarizes the SAGES Continuing T. M. Farrell (&) Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB 7081, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7081, USA e-mail: tfarrell@med.unc.edu