Assessment of Education and Management of Endometriosis Among Colorectal Surgeons and Residents

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To identify the type of endometriosis education and surgical training colorectal surgery residents are exposed to during training. To determine the current surgical management of endometriosis among recently graduated colorectal surgeons and their level of comfort. DESIGN: A qualitative cross-sectional study was performed. An anonymous questionnaire was emailed to colorectal surgery residents of 2023 and recent graduates for completion. Data was then extracted and analyzed from REDCap. A chi-square test was performed on the primary outcome variables. SETTING: A REDCap electronic survey was administered through email to each participant. PATIENTS: All colorectal surgery residents in 2023 and recent graduates from Colon and Rectal Surgery subspecialty from 2012 to 2022. INTERVENTIONS: A 17-item anonymous questionnaire was sent via email through REDCap. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The survey was completed by 70 participants. Most respondents (58.5%) did not receive formal education on bowel endometriosis. Forty percent of participants (28/70) did not feel they received adequate training for surgical management of bowel endometriosis. In terms of surgical exposure, 3.8% (2) responded they had been involved in >15 bowel endometriosis cases and 18 (25.7%) had been exposed to 1-5 cases during colorectal training. Factors that predicted feeling adequately trained in managing endometriosis included formal endometriosis education (OR 4.70, 95% CI 1.37-16.12, p-value .027) and surgical exposure during training (OR 4.38, 95% CI 1.18-16.26, p-value .014). Additionally, the number of cases exposed during training is highly correlated with feeling adequately trained. CONCLUSION: More than half of colorectal surgeons did not receive formal education on bowel endometriosis and the majority had only been exposed to 1-5 cases during their colorectal training. An overwhelming majority were interested in further education. This study highlights opportunities for improvement in the exposure to education and surgical management of endometriosis among colorectal surgery trainees.