TRAINING - ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY - ARE JUNIOR DOCTORS BEING PROPERLY TRAINED

Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is a technique which carries great pote ntial benefits for the treatment of many nasal conditions. However, it also carries substantial risks. The key to safe surgery lies with ade quate training. A survey carried out as part of a North (East) Thames Region audit of higher surgical trainees revealed large discrepancies in their training and in their subsequent clinical practice. Almost ha lf the trainees had started ESS without having been on a training cour se or performed any cadaver dissections. Despite the potential hazards of ESS, audit of complications and outcome received a low priority. T he trainees made several suggestions for improving training, including better provision of courses, regional training programmes and improve d access to cadavers for dissection. Other surgical specialties are be ing forced to examine the prospect of specific accreditation for minim ally invasive techniques and otorhinolaryngology may have to follow su it.