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PurposeSuccessful adoption of a new surgical procedure varies among practicing surgeons, and skill acquisition depends on the surgeon’s innate ability, the complexity of the technique, and training. We report intraoperative and near-term postoperative outcomes from the Acessa procedure conducted by minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons new to Acessa, and report the surgeons’ experiences during the training period.Patients and methodsThe study was designed as a postmarket, prospective, single-arm, multicenter analysis of operative and early postoperative outcomes after proctored surgical training with the Acessa device and procedure (laparoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency volumetric thermal ablation of symptomatic fibroids) in premenopausal, menstruating women as conducted in community and university hospitals in the USA and Canada. Surgeons completed evaluation forms once they felt they could safely and comfortably conduct the operations.ResultsTen gynecologic surgeons without prior Acessa experience completed 40 Acessa procedures – all on an outpatient basis. Mean procedure time was 1.9±1.0 hours and was similar to that reported in the pivotal premarket study (2.1±1.0 hours). Two intraoperative complications occurred: a 1 cm uterine serosal laceration due to uterine manipulation and blood loss from both the probe insertion site and the lysis of uterine-omental adhesions. No postoperative complications or reinterventions for fibroid symptoms were reported. The surgeons completed the evaluation forms after two to five cases, and none found any factors affecting procedure efficiency to be inferior or needing improvement.ConclusionMinimally invasive gynecologic surgeons new to Acessa can perform the procedure and provide acceptable outcomes after two to five proctored cases.

Objective This study aimed to assess the variance in menopause education, educational resources, and the needs of obstetrics and gynecology (ObGyn) residency programs by conducting a national survey of program directors (PDs). Methods In 2022, an institutional review board–approved Web-based Qualtrics survey was designed and distributed electronically to 145 US ObGyn residency PDs. The survey consists of 15 questions. The main outcomes are reported using descriptive statistics. Results The survey was completed by 99 of 145 PDs (68.3%). Almost all participants (92.9%) strongly agreed that residents nationwide should have access to a standardized menopause curriculum that could be utilized in their programs. Only 31.3% reported having a menopause curriculum in their residency program. Of the programs with a menopause curriculum, 96.8% reported using lectures, 77.4% reported assigned readings, and 74.2% had either dedicated menopause clinics or other clinics with a high volume of menopausal patients. Of all programs surveyed, only 29.3% reported that trainees had dedicated time assigned to a menopause clinic. A total of 83 of 99 PDs agreed or strongly agreed that their programs needed more menopause educational resources, and most (89.7%) stated they were likely or very likely to use self-paced menopause modules that include performance feedback if available. Conclusions Data from the needs assessment questionnaire revealed that menopause education and resources vary across residency programs, with the majority lacking a dedicated menopause curriculum. Most PDs expressed a desire for more educational resources and standardized training materials, and preferred to access an online national menopause curriculum.