Can U.S. GI fellowship programs meet American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recommendations for training in EUS? A survey of U.S. GI fellowship program directors.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) EUS training and credentialing guidelines exist, but the capability of U.S. GI fellowships to meet these guidelines has not been assessed.

OBJECTIVE:
To ascertain the capability of U.S. GI fellowship programs to meet ASGE guidelines for EUS training in the context of 3-year and advanced GI fellowships.

METHODS:
U.S. GI fellowship programs were surveyed for the presence or the absence, type, and extent of EUS training. Demographics regarding the programs and the program directors were obtained.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS:
Data on the annual total EUS volume and data on EUS performed by 3-year and/or advanced-year fellows were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS:
Ninety-one of 142 contactable GI programs responded (64%); 72% of programs performed >200 EUS/y and thus could train >or=1 EUS trainee/y. For 3-year GI fellows, 55% received less than 3 months of training, with 43% not receiving actual "hands-on" EUS experience, and 61% not learning EUS-guided FNA. The median EUS performed by 3-year fellows was 50 (0-350). Programs that offer advanced endoscopy fellowship had a median advanced-trainee EUS volume of 200 procedures (range, 50-1100 procedures). Of advanced fellows, 20% failed to receive "hands-on" training and 52% performed <200 procedures. We observed a significant difference in the median EUS volume performed by 3-year versus advanced-year fellows (P<.001). Program director variables did not correlate with training EUS volumes.

CONCLUSIONS:
The majority of U.S. GI fellowship programs have established the EUS volume to train at least 1 EUS fellow, per ASGE guidelines; however, most 3-year and many advanced fellows are currently receiving insufficient EUS training.

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Author information

Author/s: Azad, Jaspaul S (JS); Verma, Dharmendra (D); Kapadia, Asha S (AS); Adler, Douglas G (DG);

Affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Texas Medical School-Houston Health Science Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Gastrointestinal endoscopy (Gastrointest Endosc), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Aug; vol 64 (issue 2) : pp 235-241

Dates: Created 2006/07/24; Completed 2006/11/28;

PMID: 16860075, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Clinical Competence
Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal - standards
Endosonography - standards
Fellowships and Scholarships
Gastroenterology - methods

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