What do we need to know about anatomy in gynaecology? An international
validation study
Abstract
Objective: international validation of the Dutch Delphi consensus study
about which anatomical structures that should be taught to ensure safe
and competent practice among general gynaecologists. Design: Validation
study. Setting: Academic, non-academic teaching and non-academic,
non-teaching hospitals worldwide. Population: Gynaecologists and
trainees in gynaecology. Methods: The relevance of 123 items included in
the Dutch Delphi study was scored on a Likert scale between 1 (not
relevant) and 5 (highly relevant). Consensus was defined when 70% of
the panellist scored the item as relevant or very relevant and the
average rating was 4. Main Outcome Measures: Clinically relevant
anatomical structures. Results: A total of 192 gynaecologists and
trainees from seven countries (Belgium, Germany, Norway, Oceania,
Sweden, United Kingdom and United States) completed the questionnaire.
Of the 123 structures, 72 (58.5%) were internationally relevant. When
the 72 relevant structures from the international Delphi study were
compared with the 86 relevant structures from the Dutch Delphi study, 70
(81.4%) structures matched. Conclusions: This study identified 70
anatomical structures that should be taught for safe and competent
practice of general gynaecologists based on national and international
validation. The results of our study identify the learning needs (i.e.,
the content) for an international anatomy curriculum. The development of
the curriculum (i.e., the form) can be determined by each country and
used to standardize and guide postgraduate training in gynaecology. This
is an important step in the era of international teaching and training.