How many cases do young pediatric surgeons need to experience to achieve autonomy in performing pediatric endoscopic surgery? A nationwide survey to establish an ideal curriculum for pediatric endoscopic surgery in Japan.

Objective: To ensure the safe prevalence of pediatric endoscopic surgery in Japan, a training curriculum should be established. In addition, the number of pediatric surgical cases is decreasing due to the decreasing birth rate in Japan, and it is necessary to clarify the number of surgical cases required for young pediatric surgeons to achieve autonomy in pediatric endoscopic surgery.

Methods: An online nationwide survey was conducted among young pediatric surgeons with 3-15 years of clinical experience in Japan. We assessed training experience, opinions concerning the ideal training curriculum, and the correlation between surgical experience and the level of autonomy for pediatric endoscopic surgeries.

Results: One hundred seventy participants responded to the survey (response rate: 35.2%). Only 18% answered that their training facility had a regular educational off-the-job training program. Ninety percent of respondents answered that an educational curriculum for pediatric endoscopic surgery was necessary. It took 11-20 cases to achieve autonomy in laparoscopic appendectomy and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

Conclusions: This survey revealed that off-the-job training programs were insufficient. The results of this study are expected to aid in the establishment of an effective curriculum for pediatric endoscopic surgery in the era of declining birth rates.