Developing a Reliable Assessment Tool for Esophageal Surgery

A new competency assessment tool for magnetic sphincter augmentation enhances surgical quality assurance in esophageal procedures.

• The Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation Competency Assessment Tool (MSA CAT) shows strong interassessor reliability with a mean Cohen’s kappa of 0.785.
• Intra-assessor reliability is also robust at 0.745, reflecting consistent evaluation skills among reviewers.

This tool could improve patient outcomes by standardizing performance assessments and reducing technical errors in surgery.

• The MSA CAT categorizes scores into “concerning” or “acceptable,” supporting surgical decision-making and training.