Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Surgeons encounter and navigate a unique set of ethical dilemmas. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) previously identified 6 core ethical issues central to the practice of surgery, but there have been no reports of the true range and complexity of ethical dilemmas encountered by surgeons in their daily practice. Qualitative research is well positioned to address this question. ⋯ Although the ACS-defined core ethical issues in surgery appropriately captured many ethical dilemmas identified by participants, surgeons described several scenarios not well characterized by these themes. A dedicated surgical ethics curriculum may help to better equip surgeons to navigate the ethical dilemmas they are likely to face in practice.