Ongoing evolution of practice gaps in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery: 2014 report from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Continuing Education Committee.
BACKGROUND
In an effort to fulfill the charge to develop and maintain a comprehensive educational program to serve the members of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), the SAGES Continuing Education Committee reports a summary of findings related to the evaluation of the 2014 SAGES annual meeting.


METHODS
All attendees to the 2014 annual meeting had the opportunity to complete an immediate post-meeting questionnaire as part of their continuing medical education (CME) certification, and identify up to two learning themes, answer questions related to potential practice change items based on these learning themes, and complete a needs assessment for relevant learning topics for future meetings. In addition, participants in the postgraduate and hands-on courses were asked to complete questions about case volume and comfort level related to procedures/topics in those courses. All respondents to this initial survey were sent a 3-month follow-up questionnaire in which they were asked how successful they had been in the implementation of the targeted practice changes and what, if any, barriers were encountered. Descriptive statistical analysis of de-identified data was undertaken. SAGES University attendees respond to a post-test and post-activity evaluation.


RESULTS
Response rates were 43 and 31 % for CME-eligible attendees/respondents for the immediate post-meeting and 3-month follow-up questionnaires, respectively. Top learning themes for respondents were foregut, hernia, bariatric, and colorectal. Improving minimally invasive surgical (MIS) technique and managing complications related to MIS procedures were top intended practice changes. Partial implementation was common with top barriers including lack of resources and lack of time. Desired topics for future meetings included management of complications, enhanced recovery after surgery, introduction of new procedures into clinical practice, and re-operative surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The SAGES 2014 annual meeting analysis provides insight into the educational needs among respondents, which is meaningful information for planning future meeting educational content.
Department of Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, 4760 Sunset Blvd, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA. Elisabeth.C.McLemore@kp.org.
Elisabeth C
EC
McLemore
Department of Surgery, LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, 1542 Tulane Ave, Rm 734, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
John T
JT
Paige
Department of Surgery, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, 3755 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E2, Canada.
Simon
S
Bergman
, 11300 West Olympic Blvd, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA, 92610, USA.
Yumi
Y
Hori
, 11300 West Olympic Blvd, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA, 92610, USA.
Erin
E
Schwarz
Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB 7081, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7081, USA.
Timothy M
TM
Farrell
D003226:Congresses as Topic; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000193:education*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
Continuing professional development; Practice gaps; Skills acquisition; Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES); Surgical education