An international consensus for mitigation of the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on laparoscopic training.

Aim: Achieve an international consensus on how to recover lost training opportunities. The results of this study will help inform future EAES guidelines about the recovery of surgical training before and after the pandemic.

Background: A global survey conducted by our team demonstrated significant disruption in surgical training during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was wide-spread and affected all healthcare systems (whether insurance based or funded by public funds) in all participating countries. Thematic analysis revealed the factors perceived by trainees as barriers to training and gave birth to four-point framework of recovery. These are recommendations that can be easily achieved in any country, with minimal resources. Their implementation, however, relies heavily on the active participation and leadership by trainers. Based on the results of the global trainee survey, the authors would like to conduct a Delphi-style survey, addressed to trainers on this occasion, to establish a pragmatic step-by-step approach to improve training during and after the pandemic.

Methods: This will be a mixed qualitative and quantitative study. Semi-structured interviews will be performed with laparoscopic trainers. These will be transcribed and thematic analysis will be applied. A questionnaire will then be proposed; this will be based on both the results of the semi structured interviews and of the global trainee survey. The questionnaire will then be validated by the steering committee of this group (achieve consensus of >80%). After validation, the questionnaire will be disseminated to trainers across the globe. Participants will be asked to consent to participate in further cycles of the Delphi process until more than 80% agreement is achieved.

Results: This study will result in a pragmatic framework for continuation of surgical training during and after the pandemic (with special focus on minimally invasive surgery training).