Teaching lower gastrointestinal endoscopy: a comparison of family medicine and internal medicine residencies.

Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (LGIE) is an important procedure in primary care for detecting colorectal cancer. This survey of family practice (FP) and internal medicine (IM) residency directors in the southeastern United States shows that 100 percent of FP and 92 percent of IM programs provide training in LGIE. Less than half of all programs had certification criteria, and both disciplines showed a clear preference for the 60-cm flexible sigmoidoscope. LGIE procedures in IM programs were more frequently supervised by gastroenterologists, and in FP programs they were more frequently supervised by FP faculty. Only 55 percent of FP and 56 percent of IM residents were predicted to suggest screening LGIE to their patients, and 80 percent of FP and 63 percent of IM residents were predicted to include sigmoidoscopy in the evaluation of hematochezia.