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Education
Education in practice
COVID-19 and the challenges faced by gastroenterology trainees: time for capsule endoscopy training?
  1. Thomas Edward Conley,
  2. Joseph Fiske,
  3. Tristan Townsend,
  4. Paul Collins,
  5. Ashley Bond
  1. Gastroenterology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Thomas Edward Conley, Gastroenterology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool L7 8XP, UK; Thomas.Conley{at}liverpoolft.nhs.uk

https://doi.org/10.1136/flgastro-2020-101704

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    The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on endoscopy services has been profound, triggering a strategic remodelling of service delivery and prompting recommendation of a nationwide senior led triage system in-line with BSG (British Society of Gastroenterology) and JAG (Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) guidance.1 The anticipated backlog of deprioritised cases during the COVID-19 pandemic represents a daunting challenge to those delivering endoscopy services, particularly given the recent evidence to suggest that for several cancers (including those of the colorectum, oesophagus and stomach), a 3-month delay to diagnosis is predicted to result in a reduction in long-term (10 years) survival of more than 10% in most age groups.1 2 The challenge is compounded further by the pandemic’s effect on training, and therefore the proportion of independent future endoscopists at time of certification of completion of training (CCT).

    Impact of COVID-19 on training

    COVID-19 has negatively impacted on conventional endoscopy training. Several strategies to address the challenges faced by trainees in the COVID-19 era have been proposed.3 The use of online resources and expert-delivered video endoscopy learning seminars have been suggested as mechanisms to support the delivery of non-technical skills. Educational opportunities may also be enhanced through the utilisation of video conferencing portals.3

    Limitations have been placed on the number of personnel in the endoscopy room to protect both patients and staff.1 Whether trainee endoscopists are non-essential personnel in this context remains to be defined.3 Accreditation in diagnostic gastroscopy is required for CCT although colonoscopy is also pursued by most trainees.4 Traditionally, this was already challenging; half of gastroenterology trainees surveyed in 2018 lacked accreditation in colonoscopy as they approached CCT.5 There also exists a disparity between mandatory CCT requirements and the range of endoscopic skills that should equip a trainee for their consultant jobs. Biswas et al report …

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    Footnotes

    • Correction notice This article has been corrected since it published Online First. The provenance and peer review statement has been included.

    • Contributors TEC and AB were involved in the initial drafting of the manuscript. TEC, JF, TT, PC and AB were involved in the final drafting of the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests TT has received conference attendance funding from Janssen.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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