13 WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS OCTOBER 2014 Editorial | Expert Point of View | Gastro 2015: AGW/WGO | WDHD News | WGO & WGOF News | WGO Global Guidelines | Calendar of Events British Society of Gastroenterology/Joint Advisory Group/World Gastroenterology Organisation International Training Colonoscopy Trainers (ITCT) WOLVERHAMPTON 11-13 JUNE 2014 - A JOINT VENTURE TO SHARE BEST PRACTICE IN ENDOSCOPY TRAINING Damon Bizos, MD Professor University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Johannesburg, South Africa Colonoscopy remains a challeng-ing procedure despite improvements in equipment. Effective training of trainee gastroenterologists has been the focus of many GI societies and regulatory bodies. Upskilling of exist-ing endoscopists is more complex especially when the endoscopists involved are independent practitio-ners. Increasing numbers of screening colonoscopies are being performed as this has been shown to be effective in decreasing Colorectal Cancer rates in countries with a high prevalence of CRC. There is increasing attention on outcomes and quality of colonoscopy. The technique of colonoscopy is not standardised with strategies for reaching caecum varying from coun-try to country as well as within indi-vidual endoscopy centers. Effective and efficient teaching of colonoscopy also varies considerably. The NHS in the United Kingdom has the advan-tage of a single health service respon-sible for the majority of colonoscopies performed. The UK Joint Advisory Group on Endoscopy (JAG) has established numerous training centres across the UK which all employ similar techniques in upskilling exist-ing colonoscopists as well as ensuring quality training for their trainees. The WGO currently has 21 Train-ing centers which offer different forms of training in diverse aspects of gastro-enterology. The BSG funds numerous projects worldwide, funding for which are applied for on an annual basis. One of the projects that has been effective has been the establishment of Train-ing Centers in Malawi. Using JAG accredited Training the Colonoscopy Trainers (TCT) and Nurse training courses, the local GI practitioners and nurses in Malawi are improving standards continually with Malawi-ans now running training courses as faculty. Discussions are underway to possibly recognise the BSG affiliated Malawian training centers (Hub and Spoke) as a WGO accredited Training center. I visited the Malawi hub in Blan-tyre during a week of training of both GI doctors and nurses in March 2014. The ability of the BSG funded trainers to use the techniques that the NHS uses to ensure quality and teach and train in a standardised fashion was a stimulus to see if this could be replicated in WGO accredited train-ing centres worldwide. After discussions between the BSG, JAG and the WGO (including the TTT committee, Training Centers Committee and Endoscopy Interest Group) an ICTC was planned for Wolverhampton. It was envisaged that trainers from the WGO accredited In-ternational Training Centre would be invited to attend. Participants had to fund their own travel and accommo-dation. The course was offered free of charge with generous assistance from the BSG and industry partners. Participants from 10 of the WGO training centers as well as Drs. Mark Topazian and Lars Abakken, the co-chairs of the WGO Endoscopy Inter-est Group attended the workshop. Drs. Andrew Veitch and Brian McKaig from the Royal Wolverhamp-ton NHS trust managed to assemble a great team of endoscopy trainers from around the UK. Jacky Burton, the course administrator is commended for ensuring a seamless course, wonderful dinners and accommoda-tion. The commitment of all faculty members was appreciated by all the participants.
ewgn-vol19-issue3-FINAL
To see the actual publication please follow the link above