Sub-specialization in general surgery – the end of the ‘general’ surgeon?

Abstract

As general surgeons in the UK National Health Service (NHS), we are operating in a time of uncertainty as a result of the debate on centralization and sub-specialization of our profession. The impetus for change (Expert Advisory Group to the Chief Medical Officers of England and Wales, 1995), exemplified by vascular and breast, is improvement in outcome; the rationale is that surgeons with large single-procedure workloads yield better results. However, this controversial process, together with proposed senior house officer reforms (Department of Health, 2003), has major implications on the provision of elective and emergency services.

An organizational model to improve the robotic system among general surgeons

“…It is due to the low number of potentially robotic procedures that can be performed in these different surgical fields. We recommend that to reach enough experience with this new device, a general surgeon should use it in all the surgical areas he has experience with (20). We believe that to employ the robotic system to their full potential in a surgery department, it is essential that it is used in all general surgical fields, from colorectal to esophageal-gastric ones.…”