[Current problems in training of minimally invasive surgery: vision of residents in pediatric surgery]

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is getting more and more important in our specialty. However, the formation of the residents on MIS is, in many cases, irregular. The purpose of this study is to assess the state of training in MIS among the residents of Pediatric Surgery and their potential weaknesses.

An electronic survey was distributed among 71 residents of Pediatric Surgery from 17 national hospitals.

The response rate was 70.2%.100% of the residents are interested in a broadening of training activities in MIS. The main areas of interest are gastrointestinal (92%) and thoracic (47%) surgery. Only 57% have access to training facilities and less than half of them attend to courses and conferences. 80% believe that they are not given adequate attention from specialized associations. 52% think they should do rotations at referral centers, 86% that courses and seminars should be enhanced, and 44% that the responsibility of the resident in surgery should be increased. The main defects encountered in their training are scarce volume of patients, lack of financial support and overcoming the learning curve of surgeons in their services.

Despite the advance of the MIS, resident's training in this discipline still has shortcomings, as expressed in their views. Knowledge of the current state of training should be the starting point for designing a training strategy that ensures adequate skills.