Paediatric gastroenterology fellows’ self‐assessment of endoscopy skills

Abstract

Background: Endoscopy is a fundamental skill learned during a paediatric 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 were collected and stored using REDCap. Data analysis was completed using descriptive statistics. Results: One hundred and 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 oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Subjects felt competent regarding colonoscopy but only 24% reached the threshold. There was no difference in EGD counts between small vs large training programmes (P = .51). Therapeutic endoscopy scored the lowest on self-reported competency scale. Conclusion: This study showed that a majority of third-year trainees feel competent regarding EGD and colonoscopy skills, but only reached threshold counts in EGD. Although paediatric gastroenterologists and trainees are thought to perform safe and effective gastrointestinal endoscopy, this data suggest that time could be dedicated to more complex 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. How to cite this article: Gamboa HE, Friedlander JA. Paediatric gastroenterology fellows' self-assessment of endoscopy skills.