Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on endoscopy training in a tertiary care centre in Germany

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a global health emergency with reports of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from over 100 countries.1 In Germany, more than 150 000 cases of COVID-19 infection and more than 7000 deaths have been reported.2 Due to the rapid increase in the number of infected persons, Germany’s national Public Health Institute ( Robert Koch-Institut ) declared a moderate COVID-19 infection risk for the general public on 28 February and on 17 March, this risk level was raised to ‘high’. Various position statements were published on strategies to protect patients and staff in endoscopy units from SARS-CoV-2 infection, including prioritisation of indications and postponement of non-urgent procedures.3 4 In addition, it was recommended that only essential endoscopy personnel is present during endoscopy and, whenever possible, a limited team of endoscopy staff be designated to endoscopy procedures in patients with or suspected to be infected with COVID-19. These stringent protection strategies may also affect the endoscopy training programmes of gastroenterology fellows and residents in affected centres. In this paper, we present data on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on endoscopy training in a tertiary care centre in Germany. This single-centre, retrospective descriptive study was done in the Department of Gastroenterology at the University Hospital Augsburg. Data of endoscopy case volume were extracted from the records of the endoscopy unit of the department. The reorganisation of the endoscopy unit and its effects on the endoscopy training programme is also described. ### Study data The absolute number (case volume) of endoscopic examinations performed by four gastroenterology fellows over a 4-month period (January to April 2020) was evaluated and compared with the case load in the year prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (January to April 2019). Differences between case volumes are shown in percentages. ### Endoscopy training and skills assessment The gastroenterology fellowship in Germany lasts for 3 years and …