The International Digestive Endoscopy Network (IDEN) is a two-day conference being hosted by the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (KSGE) since 2011. To educate young Asian doctors on gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, the Asian Young Endoscopic Award (AYEA) was initiated in 2014,1 which provided funding, including travel expenses, for basic and advanced endoscopic training in Korean institutions. The visiting period was two weeks. The AYEA was held two weeks before the IDEN program, during which, the AYEA attendees had the opportunity to present their abstracts at a session known as the Young Endoscopist Forum (YEF).2 The training institutes in Korea, which were dedicated centers for the endoscopic treatment of GI diseases, were sourced nationally. The AYEA, which initially had 21 participants from ten countries in 2014, expanded to 64 participants from 18 countries in 2019. Between 2014 and 2019, 198 young doctors from Asian countries visited 26 Korean training centers.

In 2020, the name of the program was changed to the International Young Endoscopist Award (IYEA) to include more young doctors from all around the world. However, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the IYEA program could not be held in 2020. During 2021–2022, the program was held online. In 2021, 16 video lectures recorded by Korean professors were used to teach the IYEA applicants. In 2022, three online workshops on upper GI, lower GI, and pancreaticobiliary diseases were conducted before IDEN and YEF, which were also held online. The survey reported here, was conducted among the participants of the AYEA and IYEA programs, to evaluate the performance and impact of the programs and to identify areas for improvement.

Since 2014, 306 doctors from 32 countries participated in the AYEA and IYEA programs (AYEA, n=198; IYEA, n=108). Figure 1 shows the nationalities of the attendees to date, with the majority of the participants being from the Philippines (n=68). However, countries with one or two attendees were not included in the Figure. An online survey containing 20 questions was conducted anonymously using Survey Monkey (https://www.surveymonkey.com). An e-mail requesting participation in the survey was sent thrice to all the 306 participants. The survey focused on the demographic characteristics of the endoscopists and their satisfaction with the program. In the case of online participants, satisfaction with the lectures was investigated. Among the 306 participants, 20 responded to this survey (response rate, 6.5%): IYEA, n=16; AYEA, n=4. Half of the respondents were from the Philippines. Seventy percent of the respondents were currently working at an academic hospital. Because of the low response rate among AYEA participants, the survey was sent to the 16 IYEA participants. Of the 16 respondents, 15 (93.8%) participated in the IYEA program in 2022. About 30% of the respondents learned about the program via recommendations from the academic society of their country and their colleagues (Fig. 2A). The positive effects of participation in the IYEA were improvement in knowledge (16/16, 100%) and endoscopic skills (11/16, 68.8%) (Fig. 2B, multiple choice). Additionally, the respondents indicated that they would recommend IYEA to their colleagues. Approximately 60% of the respondents were acquainted with IDEN before participating. After participating in the IYEA program, most of the respondents thought that there was a need for regular workshops or additional educational programs (Fig. 2C). In addition, approximately 90% of the respondents needed the alumni program after the IYEA (Fig. 2D). The alumni program was held on December 2, 2022, during the Korea Digestive Disease Week. Four attendees each from the AYEA and IYEA participated in the alumni program. Half of the respondents answered that observing the endoscopic procedure was the best way to participate in the AYEA. All respondents thought that 2 weeks was too short for the in-person program. Three-quarters of the respondents were very satisfied with the hospitals that hosted the program.

In this brief report, we present the results of survey on the AYEA and IYEA programs. Although the overall satisfaction with these programs was favorable, the response rate was lower than expected. Furthermore, a survey was required for organizing a better IYEA program in the future. Since the COVID-19 pandemic is nearly over, the IYEA program will be conducted in the same manner as were the previous in-person programs rather than the online mode. Young doctors will visit Korean training institutes through the IYEA program before IDEN 2023. Educational programs may vary depending on the training institute sourced. Although attending physicians at training institutes devote time to hosting young doctors from overseas, a standard educational program may be needed for organizing better in-person programs.

Most respondents needed regular workshops or additional educational programs after the AYEA and IYEA programs. Online lectures or webinars may serve as appropriate options. The KSGE has been organizing webinars every two weeks, since 2022. One such webinar can be organized post the AYEA and IYEA program. In addition, alumni reunions are expected to help AYEA and IYEA attendees interact and maintain ties with Korean doctors. Therefore, we are planning an alumni reunion at IDEN 2023 and intend to do so every year.

One limitation of this survey was its low response rate which could lead to a likelihood of selection bias. In conclusion, satisfaction with the AYEA and IYEA programs was favorable among the respondents. Eventually, the IYEA program may have the potential to strengthen the international exchange efforts of the KSGE initiative.