Accreditation and certification requirements for hernia centers and surgeons : the ACCESS project
Köckerling, F. (Department of Surgery, Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, Academic Teaching Hospital of Charité Medical School, Vivantes Hospital, Neue Bergstrasse 6, 13585 Berlin, Germany)
Sheen, A. J. (Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Associate Clinical Head of Division (Surgery))
Berrevoet, F. (Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent. General and HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantations, Pancreas and Abdominal Wall Specialist)
Campanelli, G. (General and Day Surgery Unit, Center of Research and High Specialization for the Pathologies of Abdominal Wall and Surgical Treatment and Repair of Abdominal Hernia, Milano Hernia Center, Instituto Clinico Sant'Ambrogio, University of Insurbria)
Cuccurullo, D. (Chief Week Surgery Departmental Unit, Department of General, Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery, A.O. Dei Colli Monaldi Hospital Naples)
Fortelny, R. (Wilhelminenspital. Department of General, Visceral and Oncological Surgery)
Friis-Andersen, H. (Horsens Regional Hospital. Surgical Department)
Gillion, J. F. (Unité de Chirurgie Viscérale, Hôpital Privé d'Antony)
Gorjanc, J. (Department of Surgery, Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder, Spitalgasse 26, 9300 St. Veit an der Glan)
Kopelman, D. (Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Department of Surgery Emek Medical Center)
Lopez-Cano, M. (Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron)
Morales-Conde, S. (Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Sevilla, Andalusia))
Österberg, J. (Mora Hospital. Department of Surgery)
Reinpold, W. (Wilhelmsburger Krankenhaus Gross-Sand)
Simmermacher, R. K. J. (University Medical Center Utrecht. Department of Surgery)
Smietanski, M. (Medical University of Gdansk. Department of General Surgery and Hernia Centre, Hospital in Puck)
Weyhe, D. (Medical Campus University of Oldenburg. School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Hospital for Visceral Surgery, Pius-Hospital Oldenburg)
Simons, M. P. (Department of Surgery, OLVG Hospital)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Date:	2019
Abstract:	There is a need for hernia centers and specialist hernia surgeons because of the increasing complexity of hernia surgery procedures due to new techniques, more difficult cases and a tailored approach with an increasing public awareness demanding optimal treatment results. Therefore, the requirements for accredited/certified hernia centers and specialist hernia surgeons should be formulated by the international and national hernia societies, while taking account of the respective health care systems. The European Hernia Society (EHS) has appointed a working group composed of 18 hernia experts from all regions of Europe (ACCESS Group-Hernia Accreditation and Certification of Centers and Surgeons-Working Group) to formulate scientifically based requirements for hernia centers and specialist hernia surgeons while taking into consideration different health care systems. A consensus was reached on the key questions by means of a meeting, a telephone conference and the exchange of contributions. The requirements formulated below were deemed implementable by all participating hernia experts in their respective countries. The ACCESS Group suggests for an adequately equipped hernia center the following requirements: (a) to be accredited/certified by a national or international hernia society, (b) to perform a higher case volume in all types of hernia surgery compared to an average general surgery department in their country, (c) to be staffed by experienced hernia surgeons who are beyond the learning curve for all types of hernia surgery recommended in the guidelines and are responsible for education and training of hernia surgery in their department, (d) to treat hernia patients according to the current guidelines and scientific recommendations, (e) to document each case prospectively in a registry or quality assurance database (f) to perform follow-up for comparison of their own results with benchmark data for continuous improvement of their treatment results and ensuring contribution to research in hernia treatment. To become a specialist hernia surgeon, the ACCESS Group suggests a general surgeon to master the learning curve of all open and laparo-endoscopic hernia procedures recommended in the guidelines, perform a high caseload and additionally to implement and fulfill the other requirements for a hernia center. Based on the above requirements formulated by the European Hernia Society for accredited/certified hernia centers and hernia specialist surgeons, the national and international hernia societies can now develop their own programs, while taking account of their specific health care systems.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Hernia center ; Specialist hernia surgeon ; Guidelines ; Certification requirements ; Accreditation
Published in:	Hernia, Vol. 23 (january 2019) , p. 185-203, ISSN 1248-9204

DOI: 10.1007/s10029-018-1873-2
PMID: 30671899

19 p, 2.0 MB

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