Facilities & Teaching Methods

Facilities

The Centre is composed of an operating theatre with five working stations fully equipped with state-of-the-art Olympus video-endoscopes, Erbe electrosurgical generators with Argon Plasma Coagulation, and medical gases, where trainees can perform on animal models, under appropriate tutoring, a variety of therapeutic endoscopic procedures. A large number of different endoscopic procedures can be carried out on the isolated upper or lower GI tract of the swine by using the Erlangen EASIE model: polypectomy, mucosectomy, hemostatic procedures on bleeding vessels, APC treatments, self-expandable metal stent insertion, antireflux procedures, bile duct sphincterotomy and stenting, etc. If strictly necessary, the EETC is also fully certified and authorised to use live animals under general anaesthesia to perform special procedures. The presence of a veterinary doctor specialised in animal care guarantees that all the ethical requirements are fully respected. On the first floor, an auditorium for 20-25 people, with updated Audio-Visual equipment controlled by a SMART Sympodium and permanently linked via Intranet to the Endoscopy suite located within the University Hospital Policlinico A. Gemelli allows theoretical teaching as well as live transmission of endoscopic procedures performed by the local staff or by invited guest faculties. A small specialised library-meeting room and another room equipped with four personal computer working stations for individualised electronic interactive teaching are also located at the first floor. As a result, the EETC represents a unique geographical entity where all the steps of the teaching process that should precede hands-on experience on patients may be replicated.

The Digestive Endoscopy Unit, located within the University Hospital, hosts from more that 20 years, gastroenterologists, endoscopists and surgeons from all over the world. Their aim is to improve their knowledge of endoscopic techniques and take advantage of the equipment through hands-on training or simply through observation.

The 1000-square-metre Unit boasts 6 endoscopy rooms, 2 for gastroscopy, 2 for colonoscopy, one for echoendoscopy and one for ERCP. Moreover a dedicated area is reserved to ph-metries, manometries and pill-cam procedures.

All the rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art machineries and apparatus that make the Unit a centre of reference as far as digestive endoscopy is concerned.

Other facilities directly implicated in the organisation of the endoscopic teaching activities are a 41 room low cost hotel located within the Campus, and an apartment located at walking distance from the Hospital which can accommodate free-of-charge three foreign trainees for periods up to one year thanks to a Cook Endoscopy educational grant.

Teaching Methods

• Lectures from invited or local faculty on the Courses’ topics
• Discussions guided by a Moderator
• Discussions on clinical cases
• Video Sessions on particular techniques or manoeuvres
• Live Transmission of endoscopic procedures from the Hospital’s Endoscopy Unit Assessment test
• Hands-on training on EASIE models and Simbionix® electronic endoscopic simulator
• Multimedia Library (Video, CD-ROM, DVD) and Scientific Journals available for the trainees
• CD-ROM: Power Point presentations, reviews and specific articles on the Courses’ topics
• At the end of the Course each trainee receives an official Certificate of Attendance.

Teaching Methods at the Endoscopy Unit:

Fellows visiting the Endoscopy Unit for periods of less than one year are not allowed to do hands-on work. However they will be able to:

• Participate to all the clinical, teaching and research activities of the Unit.
• Observe the evaluation and management of all patients referred for ERCP and therapeutic endoscopy examinations as well as upper and lower GI endoscopy procedures.
• Participate to the Courses organised by the Unit at the EETC.
• Participate to the annual European Workshop on Therapeutic Digestive Endoscopy and Radiology organised by our Unit.

Fellows visiting the Endoscopy Unit for one year or more will be involved in direct hands-on procedures. They will be able to:

• Participate to all the clinical, teaching and research activities of the Unit.
• Participate actively to the evaluation and management of all patients referred for ERCP and therapeutic endoscopy examinations as well as upper and lower GI endoscopy procedure.
• Participate to the Courses organised by the Unit at the EETC.
• Participate to the annual European Workshop on Therapeutic Digestive Endoscopy and Radiology organised by our Unit.

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Images of Rome:

• The European Endoscopy Training Centre (EETC)
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• Aula Didattica