Development and early outcomes of the national training initiative for transanal total mesorectal excision in the UK (original) (raw)

AimTransanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) has attracted substantial interest amongst colorectal surgeons but its technical challenges may underlie the early reports of visceral injuries and oncological concerns. The aim of this study was to report on the feasibility, development and the outcome of the national pilot training initiative for TaTME‐UK.MethodsTaTME‐UK was successfully launched in September 2017 in partnership with the healthcare industry and endorsed by the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. This multi‐modal training curriculum consisted of three phases: (i) set‐up; (ii) selection of pilot sites; and (iii) formal proctorship programme. Bespoke Global Assessment Scoring (GAS) forms were designed and completed by both trainees and mentors. Data were collected on patient demographics, tumour characteristics and perioperative clinical and histological outcomes.ResultsTwenty‐four proctored cases were performed by 10 colorectal surgeons from five...