title: Observer variability in upper gastrointestinal fiber endoscopy.
abstract: The reliability of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was evaluated in 71 patients. The study was designed as a comparison between the separate protocols written by two endoscopists at each EGD. The results showed an over-all disagreement of 32% between observers. When the results were correlated with endoscopical experience, a significantly higher proportion of false-negative results was found among endoscopists with experience of less than 500 EGDs compared with a more experienced group of investigators. No difference was found between residents in training (less than or equal to 200 EGDs) and those with intermediate experience (200-500 EGDs). The implications with regard to repeated training programs and authorization of endoscopists are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004384:Duodenoscopy; D004724:Endoscopy; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged