A 10-year serial, prospective study of laparoscopic cholecystectomy training in a single region.
OBJECTIVE
To determine how surgical registrar training in laparoscopic cholecystectomy evolved in a single region in the 10 years since the introduction of this technique.


METHODS
In 1993, 1996, and 2001, identical, standardised postal questionnaires were sent to all general surgical registrars in the Oxford region. The questionnaire enquired about the number of laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed, performed with supervision or simply assisted at within a set time period.


RESULTS
There has been a significant increase in the number of procedures performed by trainees between 1993 and 2000, in comparison to the number purely assisted at.


CONCLUSIONS
After an initial learning period for the consultant trainers, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been rapidly adopted, and is now a major training operation, much as open cholecystectomy was in the past.
Department of Surgery, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, UK. c.bailey@imperial.ac.uk
C M H
CM
Bailey
P
P
Lintott
J L
JL
Grogono
D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D011446:Prospective Studies