Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Observational Study
Association of National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Accreditation with Outcomes after Rectal Cancer Surgery.
The National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) defined a set of standards in 2017 centered on multidisciplinary program structure, evidence-based care processes, and internal audit to address widely variable rectal cancer practices and outcomes across US hospitals. There have been no studies to-date testing the association between NAPRC accreditation and rectal cancer outcomes. ⋯ NAPRC-accredited hospitals have lower risk-adjusted morbidity and mortality for major rectal cancer surgery. Although NAPRC standards address variability in practice, without directly addressing surgical safety, our findings suggest that NAPRC-accredited hospitals may provide higher quality surgical care.
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Immigrants in the United States face unique challenges in accessing healthcare. There have been several studies highlighting some of the barriers that this population faces; however, there is still a lack of robust research on this patient population in the context of surgical access and outcomes. ⋯ This makes it incredibly difficult to identify this population in the first place, resulting in a decreased ability to study this group retrospectively and, therefore, restricting the quantity and quality of research into these vulnerable patients. This article aims to provide a call to action for medical professionals to develop ways to accurately document immigration status in medical records while simultaneously assuaging the concerns related to this documentation and its implications on patient care and confidentiality.