A consecutive series of 49 elderly patients of mean age 73 years with full-thickness rectal prolapse underwent the Delorme operation between 1986 and 1990. A standard technique was used, or supervised, by one surgeon. In this prospective series, 43 patients were reviewed clinically. The Delorme operation abolished rectal prolapse in 32 patients. Half of the 40 with faecal incontinence were rendered continent. Failure was related to previous anorectal surgery and/or psychiatric illness. Of the 11 patients in whom the first procedure failed, four were improved by a second Delorme operation. The Delorme operation is a suitable procedure for elderly and/or medically unfit patients with rectal prolapse. Good results have also been demonstrated for younger patients, suggesting that the operation may have wider application.

In 2014, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons identified, through internal analysis, a considerable attrition rate within its Surgical Education and Training programme. Within the attrition cohort, choosing to leave accounted for the majority. Women were significantly over-represented. It was considered important to study these 'leavers' if possible. An external group with medical education expertise were engaged to do this, a report that is now published and titled 'A study exploring the reasons for and experiences of leaving surgical training'. During this time, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons came under serious external review, leading to the development of the Action Plan on Discrimination, Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Practice of Surgery, known as the Building Respect, Improving Patient Safety (BRIPS) action plan. The 'Leaving Training Report', which involved nearly one-half of all voluntary 'leavers', identified three major themes that were pertinent to leaving surgical training. Of these, one was about surgery itself: the complexity, the technical, decision-making and lifestyle demands, the emotional aspects of dealing with seriously sick patients and the personal toll of all of this. This narrative literature review investigates these aspects of surgical education from the trainees' perspective.

Taking steps to standardize and incorporate the enabling factors into M&M meetings will ensure that the valuable time spent reviewing M&M is used effectively to improve patient care.

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