SURGEONS ATTITUDES TOWARDS LAPAROSCOPIC TRAINING IN PAKISTAN

Objective: To assess the opinions of surgeons of Pakistan with respect to Laparoscopic Surgical Training. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted at Department of General Surgery, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore via one on one and group discussions with surgeons at various teaching hospitals in a major city of Pakistan. Different variables were assessed using the Likert Scoring System; 5 - Strongly Agree, 4 - Agree, 3 - Neutral, 2 - Disagree, 1 - Strongly Disagree. Recognized Residents and Consultants of General Surgery were asked to fill the questionnaire. Results: There were 87 responders (78 residents and 9 consultants). A majority (73.6%) Strongly agreed that Laparoscopic Training is essential for surgical residents and mostly (52.9%) were of the view that current state training is unsatisfactory. Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Laparoscopic Appendectomy were considered the procedures most important during training. Residents wished to perform 19 Cholecystectomies by the end of their training. 32 Cholecystectomies were thought to be required for competency. Conclusions: The importance of laparoscopic surgery is well recognized and so is the dissatisfaction with regards to the system of training. Conformity exists on the various hurdles and barriers to efficient training, and the methods to improve our current system of training. This knowledge will be invaluable in refining training guidelines in various institutes of the country.