Authors: B Sonny Bal Lawrence H Brenner
Publish Date: 2014/02/06
Volume: 472, Issue: 4, Pages: 1089-1092
Abstract
In a 2013 study by Birkmeyer and colleagues 2 the authors inquired whether or not the proficiency and skill of bariatric surgeons could influence clinical outcomes Each of the 20 bariatric surgeons who agreed to be enrolled in the study submitted a videotape of themselves performing a routine laparoscopic gastric bypass operation Independent blinded peers examined videotapes and graded various technical skills on a standard rating scale Birkmeyer and colleagues examined the relationships between proficiency ratings and complication rates riskadjusted from prospective clinicaloutcomes registry data that included more than 10000 patients 2Consistent with intuitive expectations surgeons with low surgical skills scores demonstrated a longer duration of surgery more complications higher rates of reoperation patient readmissions and increased patient mortality when compared to the top quartile of surgeons Birkmeyer et al concluded that peer rating ofNote from the EditorinChief We are pleased to publish the next installment of “Medicolegal Sidebar” to the readers of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® The goal of this quarterly column is to encourage thoughtful debate about how the law and medicine interact and how this interaction affects the practice of orthopaedic surgery We welcome reader feedback on all of our columns and articles please send your comments to eicclinorthoporgEach author certifies that he or she or a member of his immediate family has no funding or commercial associations eg consultancies stock ownership equity interest patent/licensing arrangements etc that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article
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