Abstract
Background and Aims
The Gastroenterology Core Curriculum requires training in women’s digestive disorders; however, requirements do not necessarily produce knowledge and competence. Our study goals were: (1) to compare perceptions of education, fellow-reported levels of competence, and attitudes towards training in women’s gastrointestinal (GI) health issues during fellowship between gastroenterology fellows and program directors, and (2) to determine the barriers for meeting training requirements.
Methods
A national survey assessing four domains of training was conducted. All GI program directors in the United States (n = 153) and a random sample of gastroenterology fellows (n = 769) were mailed surveys. Mixed effects linear modeling was used to estimate all mean scores and to assess differences between the groups. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the consistency of the measures which make up the means.
Results
Responses were received from 61% of program directors and 31% of fellows. Mean scores in perceived didactic education, clinical experiences, and competence in women’s GI health were low and significantly differed between the groups (P < 0.0001). Fellows’ attitudes towards women’s GI health issues were more positive compared to program directors’ (P = 0.004). Barriers to training were: continuity clinic at a Veteran’s Administration hospital, low number of pregnant patients treated, low number of referrals from obstetrics and gynecology, and lack of faculty interest in women’s health.
Conclusions
(1) Fellows more so than program directors perceive training in women’s GI health issues to be low. (2) Program directors more so than fellows rate fellows to be competent in women’s GI health. (3) Multiple barriers to women’s health training exist.
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Abbreviations
- AASLD:
-
American Association for the Advancement of Liver Disease
- ABIM:
-
American Board of Internal Medicine
- ACG:
-
American College of Gastroenterology
- ACGME:
-
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- AGA:
-
American Gastroenterological Association
- AMA:
-
American Medical Association
- ASGE:
-
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
- FREIDA:
-
Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access
- GCC:
-
Gastroenterology Core Curriculum
- GI:
-
Gastrointestinal
- GLC:
-
Gastroenterology Leadership Council
- Ob/Gyn:
-
Obstetrics and gynecology
- VA:
-
Veterans Administration
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Acknowledgments
The project described was supported by Award Number K12HD055894 (S.S.) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.
Conflict of interest
The authors have nothing to disclose with regards to this manuscript.
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Saha, S., Roberson, E., Richie, K. et al. Women’s Health Training in Gastroenterology Fellowship: A National Survey of Fellows and Program Directors. Dig Dis Sci 56, 751–760 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-010-1532-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-010-1532-7