Feedback differences between upper gastrointestinal and colorectal specialists observing laparoscopic trainee surgeon...

Performing laparoscopic suturing requires quality education. Differences in instruction according to trainer surgeon specialty could affect trainee skill acquisition. This study compares the focus of feedback between Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) specialists and Colorectal (CR) specialists.

A 13-year postgraduate trainee received online feedback for two laparoscopic suturing procedures videos of "low" and "high" difficulty from 16 surgeons (UGI = 8, CR = 8) who are specialists in laparoscopic surgery and qualified by the Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System of the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery. The number of feedback comments was compared between specialist groups for grasping the needle, needle driving, knot tying preparation, and knot tying. Both groups were also surveyed regarding suturing procedures.

The UGI group had significantly more feedback comment varieties for knot tying preparation during the "high" difficulty video (UGI 4.0 ± 2.1 (mean ± SD), CR 1.9 ± 1.4, p < 0.05). According to questionnaire results, the UGI group performed suturing more routinely than the CR group, was more confident, and less stressed about the procedure.

In feedback for laparoscopic suturing videos, the UGI group focused more on the preparatory stage for knot tying than the CR group. This indicates that comment focus differs according to specialty, suggesting that instruction from trainers of multiple specialties is optimal.

In this study, it was shown that the focus of feedback on laparoscopic suturing procedures differs according to the surgeon's subspecialty. These insights could have important implications for optimizing laparoscopic training programs.