The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery Emergency Surgery Course: Initial experience in Japan

Background: Acute care surgery has recently been recognized as a field of surgery in Japan, but no well-organized nontrauma emergency surgery education system exists. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery Emergency Surgery Course (AAST-ESTES ESC) course gives surgeons the knowledge and skills to make daily decisions about nontrauma emergency surgery. We held an AAST-ESTES ESC course in Japan from October 2 to 3, 2022.

Methods: Thirty-two Japanese participants were asked to rate the following items using a 5-point Likert scale from 1 to 5: overall assessment, program subjects, content, instructional style, and activity. In addition, we also inquired about topics that participants intended to change as a result of what they had learned in the course.

Results: All items were rated highly (4.1-4.7) by the participants. Participants reported intending to implement changes concerning mesenteric ischemia, colorectal crises, and acute pancreatitis after taking the course.

Conclusion: Japanese surgeons gave the AAST-ESTES ESC course excellent ratings, suggesting its crucial role in Japan, where there has been no development of nontrauma emergency surgery education courses.