Annals of surgery
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Opioids After Surgery in the United States Versus the Rest of the World: The International Patterns of Opioid Prescribing (iPOP) Multicenter Study.
The International Patterns of Opioid Prescribing study compares postoperative opioid prescribing patterns in the United States (US) versus the rest of the world. ⋯ US physicians prescribe alarmingly high amounts of opioid medications postoperatively. Further efforts should focus on limiting opioid prescribing and emphasize non-opioid alternatives in the US.
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Multicenter Study
Concordance Between Registry and Administrative Data in the Determination of Comorbidity: A Multi-institutional Study.
To characterize agreement between administrative and registry data in the determination of patient-level comorbidities. ⋯ This study finds significant differences in how administrative versus registry data assess patient-level comorbidity. These differences are of concern to patients, payers, and providers, each of which had a stake in the integrity of these data. Standardized definitions of comorbidity and periodic audits are necessary to ensure data accuracy and minimize bias.
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Operating theatres are typically the most resource-intensive area of a hospital, 3-6 times more energy-intensive than the rest of the hospital and a major contributor of waste. The primary objective of this systematic review was to evaluate existing literature calculating the carbon footprint of surgical operations, determining opportunities for improving the environmental impact of surgery. ⋯ Future research should focus on optimizing the carbon footprint of operating theatres through streamlining operations, expanding assessments to other surgical contexts, and determining ways to reduce the footprint through targeting carbon hotspots.
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To measure associations between first-time performance on the American Board of Surgery (ABS) recertification exam with subsequent state medical licensing board disciplinary actions. ⋯ Failing the first recertification exam attempt was associated with a greater rate of subsequent loss-of-license actions. These results suggest that demonstrating sufficient surgical knowledge is a significant predictor of future loss-of-license actions.
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Multicenter Study
Yield of Screening for COVID-19 in Asymptomatic Patients Prior to Elective or Emergency Surgery Using Chest CT and RT-PCR (SCOUT): Multicenter Study.
To determine the yield of preoperative screening for COVID-19 with chest CT and RT-PCR in patients without COVID-19 symptoms. ⋯ One in every 100 patients without COVID-19 symptoms tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with RT-PCR; this yield increased in conjunction with community prevalence. The added value of chest CT was limited. Preoperative screening allowed us to take adequate precautions for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients in a surgical population, whereas negative patients needed only routine procedures.