Background: Focused objectives provide effective learning. Pediatric residents in Canada follow objectives set by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) with the goal of becoming competent general pediatricians. During the gastroenterology rotation, it remains unclear as to what clinical problems listed in the aforementioned objectives are crucial to understand as part of general pediatric practice. The purpose of this study was to identify the gastroenterological conditions of most importance to incorporate into a focused curriculum for pediatric residents.
Methods: All pediatricians across four Canadian Atlantic provinces were surveyed by a mailed questionnaire. Questions included demographics and ranking of the 14 clinical problems currently listed in the RCPSC objectives along with six more generated after input was gained from pediatric gastroenterologists.
Results: Of the 234 pediatricians surveyed, 132 (56%) responded, 48% of whom were general pediatricians. Celiac disease, gastroesophageal reflux, and obesity (currently not on the RCPSC list) were identified as important/very important conditions to understand by 94.4%, 96.1%, and 96.0% of respondents, respectively. There were no significant differences in rankings between general pediatricians and subspecialists. Most (75.6%) recommended that a rotation in gastroenterology be mandatory during pediatric residency.
Conclusions: A survey of Canadian pediatricians provided an overview of the importance of different diseases to use in developing a gastroenterology curriculum for core pediatric residency training. Such information is crucial as it can identify gaps in RCPSC learning objectives. Ongoing input from practicing general pediatricians can help keep medical schooling curricula updated.
Editorial on the Article "Ishiguro A, Nomura O, Michihata N, Kobayashi T, Mori R, Nishiya K, Kaneko K, and Japan Pediatric Society Steering Committee of Board Examination. Research during Pediatric Residency Training: A Nationwide Study in Japan"