JAMA surgery
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Mentorship is considered a key element for career satisfaction and retention in academic surgery. Stakeholders of an effective mentorship program should include the mentor, the mentee, the department, and the institution. ⋯ These data show that only half of departments of surgery in the United States have established mentorship programs, and most are informal, unstructured, and do not involve all of the key stakeholders. Given the importance of mentorship to career satisfaction and retention, development of formal mentorship programs should be considered for all academic departments of surgery.
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Head injury following explosions is common. Rapid identification of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in need of neurosurgical intervention is complicated in a situation where multiple casualties are admitted following an explosion. ⋯ Following an explosion in the civilian setting, 65 patients (38%) with GCS scores of 3 to 14 did not experience severe TBI. The proportion of patients with severe TBI and severe TBI in need of a neurosurgical intervention were similar in patients presenting with GCS scores of 3 to 8 and GCS scores of 9 to 14. In this study, GCS and Simplified Motor Score did not help identify patients with severe TBI in need of a neurosurgical intervention.
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Establishing strategies to minimize the burden of burnout and poor quality of life (QOL) on surgeons relies on a thorough understanding of QOL and burnout among the various surgical specialties. ⋯ Burnout and QOL vary across all surgical specialties. Whether sex affects burnout rates remains unclear. Residents are at an increased risk for burnout and more likely to report a poor QOL than attending surgeons.
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Identifying timely and important research questions using relevant patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in surgery remains paramount in the current medical climate. The inaugural Patient-Reported Outcomes in Surgery (PROS) Conference brought together stakeholders in PROs research in surgery with the aim of creating a research agenda to help determine future directions and advance cross-disciplinary collaboration. ⋯ The PROS Conference research agenda was created using a modified Delphi survey of stakeholders that will help researchers, surgeons, and funders identify crucial areas of future PROs research in surgery.
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Older patients are at greater risk for postoperative complications, yet they are less likely than younger patients to ask questions about surgery. ⋯ Through direct engagement of stakeholders, a QPL was created to address core decisional and informational needs of surgical patients. Future testing will evaluate whether this list can be used to improve patient engagement and reduce postoperative regret and conflict about postoperative treatments.