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Current trends in the practice of endoscopy among surgeons in the USA

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Abstract

Background

The diagnostic and therapeutic roles for endoscopic intervention are expanding. To continue emphasis on endoscopy in surgical training, The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons has developed the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) course to standardize and assess endoscopy training. However, little demographic information exists about the current practice of endoscopy by general surgeons and how to best integrate endoscopic skills into surgical training.

Methods

A survey to collect data regarding the current practice patterns of endoscopy was sent to surgeons with a valid email address in the American Medical Association masterfile. Information regarding the type of training (academic vs. community general surgery residency) and current practice environment (academic medical center vs. community hospital) was collected. The respondents’ current practice volume of upper endoscopy and colonoscopy over the prior year was stratified into three groups: rare (<1 per month), moderate (1–10 per month), and frequent (>10 per month). Pearson’s Chi-squared test was used to analyze the data.

Results

The survey was sent to 9902 general surgeons. There were 767 who provided answers regarding their current practice of endoscopy. Mean time in practice was 18 ± 10 years, 87 % were male, and 83 % practiced in a metropolitan area. Respondents who trained at academic general surgery programs were less likely than those at community programs to frequently perform colonoscopy (17.3 vs. 27.9 %, p < 0.05) and upper endoscopy (11.8 vs. 17.1 %, p < 0.05). Those who currently practice in academic medical centers were also less likely to be frequent performers of colonoscopy (5.6 vs. 24.7 %, p < 0.05) and upper endoscopy (9.8 vs. 14.8 %, p < 0.05) than those who practice at community hospitals.

Conclusions

The type of residency training and current practice setting of general surgeons has a significant influence on the volume of endoscopic procedures performed. This study identifies areas where more emphasis on endoscopic skills training is needed, such as FES.

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Funding

This research was supported by a Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons research award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Medical Center North, Suite CCC-4312, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37232-2730, USA

    Joshua Tierney & Rebeccah B. Baucom

  2. Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Medical Center North, Suite CCC-4312, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37232-2730, USA

    Michael D. Holzman, Benjamin K. Poulose & Richard A. Pierce

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  1. Joshua Tierney
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  2. Rebeccah B. Baucom
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  3. Michael D. Holzman
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  4. Benjamin K. Poulose
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joshua Tierney.

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Disclosures

Drs. Tierney, Baucom, Holzman and Pierce have conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose. Dr. Poulose reports grants from Bard-Davol, personal fees from Ariste Medical, personal fees from Pfizer, outside the submitted work.

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Tierney, J., Baucom, R.B., Holzman, M.D. et al. Current trends in the practice of endoscopy among surgeons in the USA. Surg Endosc 31, 1675–1679 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-016-5157-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-016-5157-6

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