Observer variability in upper gastrointestinal fiber endoscopy.

The reliability of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was evaluated in 71 patients. The study was designed as a comparison between the separate protocols written by two endoscopists at each EGD. The results showed an over-all disagreement of 32% between observers. When the results were correlated with endoscopical experience, a significantly higher proportion of false-negative results was found among endoscopists with experience of less than 500 EGDs compared with a more experienced group of investigators. No difference was found between residents in training (less than or equal to 200 EGDs) and those with intermediate experience (200-500 EGDs). The implications with regard to repeated training programs and authorization of endoscopists are discussed.