Training facilities in gastrointestinal endoscopy - Part 1 - The Erlanger Endo-Trainer

In their recent article on quality assurance in gastrointestinal endoscopy, O'Mahoney et al. warn against the tendency to overemphasize technical competence, stating that the endoscopic procedure must be viewed in the context of the overall management of the patient. There exists an apparent and urgent need to establish an all-inclusive training concept for endoscopy. We believe that the acquisition of technical skills will remain one important aspect of such a program, and that the Erlanger Endo-Trainer provides an efficient tool with which to achieve this.