Geography is a critical component of surgical care delivery that affects access to care, burdens of treatment, and spatially-related determinants of health such as environmental risk factors for disease. Its widespread applicability and importance has led to a rise in popularity of geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool for surgical research. GIS is technology […]
Implementation Science: Considerations for an Academic Surgeon
As academic surgeons, we all pride ourselves on our active role in generating, critically appraising, and disseminating evidence; yet this evidence has limited utility until it is adopted into practice. It has been traditionally described that there is a 17-year gap between the generation of new evidence and its incorporation into routine clinical practice.1 Although […]
Informed Consent During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Addressing Known Unknowns
Informed consent is the crux of the doctor-patient relationship, balancing patient autonomy and self-determination to choose what aligns with their goals and values with the beneficence and non-maleficence of treatment options presented by the physician. This shared decision-making process begins with information and ends with consent, evolving from a mutual understanding of the clinical concern […]