Training in sigmoidoscopy: the experience of trainees in elderly medicine in East Anglia

To assess the standard of training in postgraduate sigmoidoscopy in East Anglia, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed to pre-registration house officers (JHOs), senior house officers (SHOs) and specialist registrars (SpRs) in eight hospitals. The results suggest that practical instruction in technique is inadequate, and that most trainees perform too few sigmoidoscopies to become competent at either examining or recognising lesions. Many JHOs have not performed sigmoidoscopies or even witnessed important lesions in their early training. The training improved little during the SHO grade, with few trainees feeling happy with their training. The SpRs felt they were competent, although their training was thought inadequate. The current training programme needs detailed reassessment and improvement.