A snapshot audit of global flexible endoscopy practice among European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES) and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) surgeons from the EAES Flexible Endoscopy Subcommittee survey

Endoscopy is an essential skill for all surgeons. However, endoscopic competency, training, and practice may vary widely among them. The EAES Flexible Endoscopy Subcommittee is working towards a standardized set of fundamental endoscopic knowledge and skills. To best advise on current practice patterns of flexible endoscopy among surgeons worldwide, a snapshot audit was conducted on the training, use, and limitations of flexible endoscopy in practice.

An online survey was distributed via email distribution and social media platforms for EAES, SAGES, and WebSurg members. Respondent demographics, training, and practice patterns were assessed. The main outcome measure was the annual endoscopic volume. Multivariate regression and machine learning models analyzed relationships between outcomes and independent variables of age, geographic region, laparoscopic surgery practice, and surgical specialization.

A total of 1486 surgeons from 195 countries completed the survey. Respondents were mainly general (n = 894/1486, 60.2%), colorectal (n = 189/1486, 12.7%), bariatric (n = 117/1486, 7.9%), upper gastrointestinal (GI)/foregut (n = 108, 7.3%), hepatobiliopancreatic/HPB (n = 59/1486, 4%), and endocrine surgeons (n = 11/1486, 0.7%) in active practice. Eighty-two percent (n = 1,204) mentioned having used endoscopy in their practice, and 64.7% (n = 961/1486) received formal flexible endoscopy training. Of those performing endoscopy annually, 64.2% (n = 660/1486) performed between 0 and 20 endoscopies, 15.2% (n = 156/1486) performed between 20 and 50 endoscopies, 10.1% (n = 104/1486) performed between 50 and 100 endoscopies, and 10.5% (n = 108/1486) performed over 100 endoscopies. From the regression analysis, there was no statistical correlation between the annual endoscopy volume and age, geographic region, laparoscopic surgery practice, or surgical specialization. Performing advanced endoscopy was directly related to the bariatric subspecialty and to performing over 50% of cases in a minimally invasive fashion.

This international snapshot audit revealed significant heterogeneity in endoscopic practices among surgeons worldwide. There was a nonindependent relationship between endoscopy volumes and other variables tested. Barriers to practicing and receiving endoscopy training were common among respondents. The EAES Flexible Endoscopy Subcommittee will consider such results when developing an equitable and effective standardized flexible endoscopy curriculum.