A pediatric colorectal and pelvic reconstruction course improves content exposure for pediatric surgery fellows: A three-year consecutive study

• Published in: Journal of pediatric surgery 2021-12, Vol.56 (12), p.2270-2276
• Main Authors: Rentea, Rebecca M., Halleran, Devin R., Gasior, Alessandra C., Vilanova-Sanchez, Alejandra, Ahmad, Hira, Weaver, Laura, Wood, Richard J., Levitt, Marc A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Pediatric surgerySurgical educationColorectalAnorectal malformationHirschsprung diseaseCloacaCompetency-based medical educationTransition to discipline
• ISSN: 0022-3468; 1531-5037
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.02.005

Interactive courses play an important role in meeting the educational needs of pediatric surgical trainees. We investigated the impact of a multimodal pediatric colorectal and pelvic reconstruction course on pediatric surgery trainees. A retrospective evaluation was performed of pre- and post-course surveys for an annual colorectal and pelvic reconstruction course over 3 consecutive years (2017–2019). The course included didactic and case-based content, interactive questions, video, and live case demonstration, and a hands-on lab. Pre- and post-course surveys were distributed to participants. Comfort with operative/case procedures was scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1 uncomfortable, 5 very comfortable). The primary outcome was improved confidence and content knowledge for pediatric colorectal surgical conditions. 165 pediatric surgical fellow participants with a 70 responses (42.4% response rate) comprised the cohort. Participants had limited advanced pediatric colorectal experience. At the time of the course, participants reported a median of 5 [3,10] Hirschsprung pull-throughs, 6 [3,10] anorectal malformation, and 1 [0,1] cloaca cases. Participants transitioned from discomfort to feeling comfortable with pediatric colorectal operative set-up and case management (pre-course 2 [2,3] and post-course 4 [4,5] p