Empowering Ukrainian Endoscopists: A Study on the Efficacy of Intensive One-Day Training Courses

Aims The Russian invasion disrupted Ukraine's healthcare including endoscopy education. Our previous research highlighted the need for additional training to improve endoscopy quality in Ukraine. We aimed to initiate and evaluate a one-day in-person course intended to increase the knowledge and practical skills of Ukrainian endoscopists.

Methods The training included seven one-day, nine-hour in-person courses taught by expert endoscopists from October 2023 to May 2024. Each course covered core topics on one of the following themes including colorectal cancer screening, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, endosonography (EUS), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) followed by detailed examination and commentary of histological images by an experienced pathologist with futher hands-on practice on training models, allowing the participants to develop practical skills in a controlled environment. The applicants were selected based on their credentials and motivation. The evaluation consisted of pre- and post-course assessments focused on topic understanding and endoscopic image recognition. Only participants who had completed both assessments were included in the analysis to accurately compare scores before and after the training. A paired t-test was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the training.

Results Seventy-seven participants, including 27 women (30.1%), participated in our study. Using a paired t-test to analyze the data, we found a statistically significant increase in post-training scores (p<0.001), indicating a positive impact of the training. The average improvement in test scores was 40.77%, demonstrating a substantial enhancement in the knowledge and skills of the participants following the training.

Conclusions The results of our study suggest that the training program successfully improved the participants' performance, supporting its efficacy as an educational tool.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
27. März 2025