French nationwide monthly online consultation meeting on complex abdominal wall repairs: 4-year assessment of an innovative collaborative decision-making tool.

PURPOSE: Treatment of complex cases of abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) has become more frequent, and management options are diverse. Treatment decision could be improved using a multicentric consultation meeting. The aim of this study was to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the outcomes of the French national online consultation meeting (OCM). METHODS: The OCM was implemented in January 2021. This is an OCM where all surgeons working in France can present their cases of complex AWR for opinion. Descriptive statistics on this OCM were collected from implementation to March 2025. Moreover, a survey on how participating surgeons perceived this OCM was performed. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 436 cases were presented at the OCM (384 ventral hernias, 88% and 52 groin hernias, 12%). Overall, 127 surgeons participated in the OCM. The majority of presented patients originated from university hospitals (n = 294, 68%). Thirty-one surgeons (31/127 = 24%) who participated in the OCM answered the survey. Most surgeons found that the OCM had a very high pedagogical interest (median 9/10, IQR 8-10). In total, 30/31 surgeons (97%) would recommend to a colleague to take part in this OCM. Among surgeons who presented a case and answered the survey (n = 24), 1 (4%), 10 (42%), and 13 (54%) surgeons found the OCM useful, very useful, and indispensable, respectively. All surgeons who responded were satisfied with the OCM (21 were very satisfied, 87%). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a nationwide OCM for complex AWR is feasible and sustainable. Feedbacks from participants emphasized the usefulness of this meeting designed to help surgeons to better tailor treatment to patients with complex hernias. However, as patient outcomes were not available, precluding any analyses on the impact of the OCM on patient postoperative evolution, further follow-up results will be needed.