SAGES and ACS Recommend All General Surgeons Who Perform Laparoscopy Complete FLS Program

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons have issued a joint statement recommending all surgeons who perform laparoscopic surgery be certified through the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery Program, according to a news release.

 

The FLS program, which is modeled after the Advanced Trauma Life Support training program developed by ACS, "is the only validated, objective measure of a surgeon’s fundamental knowledge and skills related to laparoscopic surgery," according to the joint statement. "As such, SAGES and the ACS also recommend that institutions credentialing surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery consider FLS certification a requirement of their credentialing process."

 

FLS is described as a "comprehensive web-based education module that includes a hands-on skills training component and assessment tool designed to teach the physiology, fundamental knowledge and technical skills required in basic laparoscopic surgery," according to the FLS website (www.flsprogram.org).

 

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