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Endoscopy training in COVID‐19: Challenges and hope for a better age
Author(s) -
Koo Chieh Sian,
Siah Kewin Tien Ho,
Koh Calvin Jianyi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/jgh.15524
Subject(s) - accreditation , medicine , covid-19 , pandemic , medical education , endoscopy , curriculum , training (meteorology) , nursing , pathology , psychology , surgery , pedagogy , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , physics , meteorology
The COVID‐19 pandemic is a unique challenge that has disrupted endoscopy training. Initial infection control measures aimed at protecting patients and staff meant nonessential endoscopic activity was suspended in many countries. The decrease in elective caseload from the pandemic also reduced training numbers during this period. While hands‐on training took a backseat, more efforts were directed to didactic training of cognitive competencies. We review the literature describing the impact of COVID‐19 on endoscopy training and summarize key measures aimed at mitigating this effect. These include leveraging on web‐based didactic material and video‐conferences, increased use of simulation and models to hone technical competencies, and a shift in focus from numbers‐based accreditation to competency‐based accreditation. While COVID‐19 was hoped to be short‐lived, it is clear the impact is long‐lasting. Hence, it is crucial for training programs to take stock of how endoscopy training is evolving and use this opportunity to implement new paradigms into their endoscopic training curricula. COVID‐19 might just be the catalyst that transforms endoscopy training into a new digital era.