Today launched Surgery Now, a magazine-style surgical podcast which allows surgeons to easily access the latest information about clinical practice and surgical technology at the touch of a button. More ...

The 30-minute magazine-style podcast features a case of the week, journal watch, an image of the week, a spotlight on surgery and surgical technology.

Aimed at both surgeons in practice and training, the podcast was developed by surgeons in order to help surgeons keep up to date with the very latest in surgery, to help surgeons fulfil their Continual Professional Development (CPD) requirements and to create a worldwide community of surgeons based on shared experiences.

The podcast features virtual grand rounds, whereby a ‘case of the week' is presented with clinical details, investigations and imaging and assignments are given to the viewers based on the content of the case. The podcast also includes a section on ‘Journal Watch', which looks at current surgical journals and a Surgical Technology Update, which looks at the latest developments in surgical technology. This slot aims to showcase Ireland's strong position in the medical device industry. The podcast also features an ‘Image of the Week' and also a section called Surgeons in the News, which looks at a surgeon or a department of surgery from anywhere in the world.

Professor Oscar Traynor, Director of the National Surgical Training Centre, RCSI said "With the introduction of mandatory CPD, the emphasis on life-long learning, revalidation and recertification has become even more relevant to surgeons. This podcast has been developed to allow surgeons to keep up to date with the latest advances in surgical practice and technology at a time and from a location that suits them. Overtime the podcasts will be developed as part of a ‘Surgery Now' podcast series whereby surgeons can receive CPD accreditation for viewing the podcast and submitting assignments based on the case of the week."

Contributors to the podcast include Prof. Cathal Kelly, Chief Executive, RCSI, Prof. Oscar Traynor, Director of the National Surgical Training Centre, RCSI; Mr Joe Duignan, Consultant Surgeon; Prof. Sean Tierney, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Dr Emmeline Nugent, Research Fellow; Keith Synnott, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon; Prof. John O'Byrne, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; Dr Eric Heffernan, Consultant Radiologist and Dr Dermot O'Toole, Consultant Gastroenterologist. The podcast was developed by the RCSI Centre for Innovation in Surgical Technology with support from Enterprise Ireland under the Going Global Fund.

Welcoming the announcement, Marina Donohoe, Manager of Business and Consumer Services at Enterprise Ireland, said: "The Surgery Now podcast is a great example of the innovative and internationally focused products and services we see Irish companies develop with assistance under the Going Global Fund. The purpose of this fund is to assist successful Irish companies explore and validate the overseas market potential of their products and services. Securing export sales can provide Irish companies with their next wave of growth, boosting sales and creating additional employment."

RCSI is internationally recognised as a leader in medical education. Its e-learning programme for surgical training (BeST Online) is used by surgical trainees throughout the world and School for Surgeons is used to manage the learning programme for surgical trainees in Ireland. RCSI has also been at the forefront in developing a simulation based surgical training curriculum.