[French comment on article: ERCP practitioners in China: results from national surveys in 2007 and 2013].

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was first introduced in 1968 and has been an effective tool in the diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases [1,2]. The first ERCP in mainland China was performed in 1973 [3]. After four decades of development, ERCP services have been provided throughout China. However, a national survey showed that only 63787 ERCP procedures were performed in 2006 in 470 hospitals across mainland China, with an estimated annual ERCP rate of 4.87 per 100000 inhabitants, which was much lower than those of developed countries [4]. In that survey, shortage of ERCP endoscopists (ERCPists) was suggested to be a main factor restricting the development of the ERCP service. Moreover, in most developed countries, endoscopists intending to perform ERCP are required to undergo a standardized advanced endoscopic training program to obtain technical competence [5,6], whereas China has no national standard for ERCPists or trainees, and the training pathway of ERCPists is unknown. Therefore, a survey to investigate the status of Chinese ERCPists would be beneficial for development of the ERCP service and the establishment of a standard training program. To address these issues, the Chinese Society of Digestive Endoscopy (CSDE) conducted a national survey of ERCPists in 2007 to determine the number, regional distribution, demographic characteristics, practice status, and training background of Chinese ERCPists. In 2013, the CSDE conducted another survey with a similar design to investigate the development of ERCPists in China.