Specialised surgical training and website for TaTME skills development.
Surgeons continue to learn and develop their skills throughout their career; afterall, practice makes perfect! TaTME requires advanced surgical skills, experience in both abdominal and transanal approaches, as well as knowledge of the pelvic anatomy from “bottom-up”. Specialized training is therefore essential in order to prepare surgeons before their first live case. TaTME workshops have been established in the UK, such as those run by surgeons in Oxford and Colchester, that include interactive tutorials, bench-top lab models and cadaver sessions. An international TaTME educational collaborative (www.tatme.com) has also been formed and developed a website with useful information on the procedure for both doctors and the public.
Our research fellow is analysing the TaTME operation using a very detailed systematic approach called Human Reliability Analysis. Results from this analysis will help understand the technique further and implement findings into training.
The President of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI), Mr Peter Dawson, has also acknowledged and endorsed the potential benefits TaTME brings, especially to the more difficult rectal cancer cases. In a recent report, Mr Dawson announced a new ACPGBI-badged series of regional TaTME courses.
