AAFP--ASGE conjoint course on flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Medical Education

Background:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) is a key procedure for colorectal cancer screening.
• Primary care physicians play a crucial role in cancer screening.
• Multidisciplinary training programs can enhance procedural skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel multidisciplinary training course for flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS).
• To assess the impact of FS training on instrument acquisition by family physicians.
• To evaluate the preferred length of flexible sigmoidoscopes purchased by physicians.

Main Methods:

• A prototype training program was developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
• Twenty family physicians were trained in 35 cm flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) by gastroenterologist preceptors.
• Instrument acquisition rates were compared between physicians with and without prior FS continuing medical education (CME).

Main Results:

• All 20 trained family physicians mastered FS skills within ten supervised cases.
• Physicians who underwent the FS training course acquired instruments significantly more frequently (95%) compared to those with prior CME (57%) or no prior CME (11%).
• Two-thirds of physicians purchased longer 60-65 cm flexible sigmoidoscopes instead of the 35 cm training model.

Conclusions:

• The multidisciplinary FS training program successfully equipped family physicians with procedural skills.
• Training significantly increased flexible sigmoidoscope acquisition rates among primary care physicians.
• The preference for longer scopes suggests potential implications for colorectal cancer screening practices that warrant further investigation.