A Journey from Learning a Noninvasive High-intensity Focused Ultrasound Surgical Treatment for Gynecological Diseases to Providing High-intensity Focused Ultrasound Services in Hong Kong

How Can We Improve Gynecological Surgery Webinars during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented doctors from attending surgical meetings or conferences where they learned surgical skills from others and shared surgical experiences. It also resulted in the rapid use of webinars in obstetrics and gynecology meetings. While webinars or virtual meetings enable distance learning and replace face-to-face meetings using various teleconferencing software programs, many attendees are not satisfied and find it difficult to learn surgical techniques using commercially available telecommunication programs. Therefore, dedicated webinars are necessary to present emerging surgical technologies, satisfy the attendees, and achieve a successful outcome. This article reviews the existing telecommunication programs, new presentation technologies, and proposed webinars developments to improve its delivery of surgical techniques and training during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future.

A proposed high-intensity focused ultrasound training program in Hong Kong

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery is a noninvasive thermal ablation treatment modality, and its clinical application is increasingly introduced into gynecological practices in China and Asia. To further strengthen the technology's standardized management, the Asia-Pacific Association for Gynecologic Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Therapy (APAGE) collected the consensus of well-known experts in the field. They shared opinions on the management standards of the basic requirements for developing this HIFU technology in medical institutions, operators’ training requirements, technical management, HIFU training program, etc., Based on the recommendations from APAGE, Hong Kong Focused Ultrasound Surgery Association developed its proposed HIFU training program for gynecologists in Hong Kong. This paper will present the training requirements and hopefully share its training and credentialing rationales with other HIFU medical institutes.