To evaluate the role of the Sheffield Teaching Hospital Haemostasis course in improving delegates’ confidence, knowledge and resilience when performing Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Participants who enrolled on the one-day Haemostasis Course at Sheffield Teaching Hospital between November 2021 and September 2024 were invited to fill pre-course and post-course questionnaires. Consent was obtained for the anonymous use of data in this research.  This was a simulated clinical environment combining case-based lectures with practical training using synthetic and porcine models facilitated by experienced consultants and representatives from the Endoscopy industry. Five point Likert Scale questionnaires were used to assess domains covering practical skills (adrenaline injections, clip placement, variceal, non-variceal haemostasis and Bentonite haemostatic agent use), operator confidence (mental preparedness, satisfaction, frustration) and psychomotor skills. Participant responses were manually matched and Paired-Sample T-Tests were conducted in SPSS version 20 to determine the presence of any statistically significant improvement across the domains. 

After matching the data, 78 participants, comprising gastroenterology trainees (73.1%), consultant gastroenterologists (12.8%), surgical consultants (3.8%) endoscopy nurses (3.8%), nurse endoscopists (2.6%) and non-training grades (3.8%) were identified. Of these, 64% were currently or imminently participating in an on-call “Bleeds Rota”. Significant improvements were observed across most technical and confidence domains after the Haemostasis course. Mean scores for overall endoscopic technical skill increased from 3.08 to 4.06 (p<0.001: 95% CI -1.19, -0.79), confidence in clip application rose from 2.41 to 3.83 (p<0.001: CI -1.61, -1.23); variceal and non-variceal haemostasis skills improved from 2.47 and 2.45 to 3.83 and 3.87 (p<0.001) respectively. Bentonite haemostatic agent handling improved markedly from 2.49 to 4.08 (p<0.001: CI -1.79, -1.39). Participants’ perceived frustration reduced significantly (mean 4.92 to 3.22, p<0.001), while satisfaction increased (5.26 to 7.65, p<0.001). Mental and physical strain scores also decreased post-course (7.36 to 5.90 and 6.82 to 5.40 respectively, p<0.001). “Slickness of performance” demonstrated a non-significant change (5.49 to 4.92 post course; p=0.156), signifying the potential need for extended practical sessions to refine fluency. Experience profiles of the delegates showed that most had a limited lifetime exposure to therapeutic procedures — 43.6% had performed 1–9 adrenaline infiltrations, 53.8% had placed 1–10 clips, and 55.1% had used thermal therapy fewer than 10 times. 

The Sheffield Haemostasis Endoscopy course significantly enhanced participants’ confidence, resilience, technical skills and satisfaction while simultaneously reducing frustration and perceived workload. These findings support the course’s effectiveness and highlight the value of structured, simulation-based learning for safe and competent management of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.