Archive for August, 2015
Looking forward – August 2015
An annual memorial service at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, gives faculty and residents an opportunity to remember patients who recently died and to express how the experience personally affected them.
Defining your own success: An introduction
In this introduction to the annual RAS-ACS issue, the author describes five key concepts for defining individual and professional success.
Talking the talk: The keys to effective workplace communication
The role of communication in determining a surgeon’s success is explored in this article, which offers advice for conveying information to surgical team colleagues and patients, and provides advice for negotiating contracts.
The RAS-ACS: Recruiting medical students and training future leaders
This article summarizes the history and mission of the RAS-ACS, describes the benefits of membership, and discusses the group’s involvement in medical student education.
Teaching in the OR: New lessons for training surgical residents
Emerging training techniques and how they are being applied are described in this article, as are insights on how trainees are currently being assessed to determine competency.
Feedback fundamentals in surgical education: Tips for success
This article provides an overview of best practices for providing feedback to students and trainees.
Political advocacy in surgery: The case for individual engagement
The successful efforts of two surgeon advocates are highlighted in this article, and guidelines for surgeons considering a role in health policy advocacy are provided.
Surgeons and social media: Threat to professionalism or an essential part of contemporary surgical practice?
The subject of this article—whether social media is a threat to surgery or an essential part of contemporary practice—will be debated at this year’s RAS-ACS Symposium on Sunday, October 4, at the 2015 Clinical Congress in Chicago, IL.
No quality without access: ACS and NIH collaborate to ensure access to optimal care
This article describes the purpose of the inaugural NIH-ACS Symposium on Surgical Disparities Research; summarizes presentations by leaders at the ACS, government agencies, and other stakeholder groups; and presents potential solutions for resolving global health care disparities.
The importance of detailed documentation in ICD-10
Guidelines for transitioning to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), including information about clinical documentation implementation programs are provided in this month’s column.
Resources for optimal patient care: EBDS and patient education programs
This month’s column highlights Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery (EBDS) and the College’s patient education programs—two College-based resources aimed at helping members deliver optimal patient care.
PACES trial: Evaluating the effectiveness of eflornithine and sulindac in preventing colon adenomas
The S0820 Preventing Adenomas of the Colon with Eflornithine and Sulindac (PACES) study seeks to determine whether two drugs that have shown early promise can significantly lower the risk of secondary colorectal polyp or cancer for these survivors.
Addressing surgeon fatigue and sleep deprivation
Contributing factors that can result in surgeon fatigue, including insufficient staffing and extended workdays, are summarized in this month’s column, as are suggestions for preventing this condition including implementing a fatigue management plan.
A hot mess: Clothing-related burn injuries
This month’s column examines the occurrence of clothing-related burn injuries in the NTDB research dataset for 2013.
Joseph P. Vacanti, MD, FACS, receives 2015 Jacobson Innovation Award
The 2015 Jacobson Innovation Award honors Joseph P. Vacanti, MD, FACS, for his work in the field of tissue engineering,
ACS announces four new Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery modules
The ACS Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery (EBDS) program recently released four new modules.
ACS and Hartford Foundation launch four-year geriatric initiative
The ACS in partnership with the John A. Hartford Foundation, announced a four-year initiative aimed at improving health care for older surgical patients through a standards and verification program for hospitals.
SRGS is first education program highlighted in video series
The ACS is launching a video series that shares Fellows’ perspectives on ACS Division of Education programs, including lifelong learning and professional development resources.
Dr. Henri Ford performs first separation of conjoined twins in Haiti
Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, FACS, completed the first separation of conjoined twins in his native country of Haiti on May 22.
Board of Regents approves new seats; nominations due September 10
The ACS Board of Regents approved the addition of two new seats on the Board at its June meeting in Chicago, IL.
