Editor’s note: Media around the world, including social media, frequently report on American College of Surgeons (ACS) activities. Following are brief excerpts from news stories covering research and activities from the ACS Clinical Congress 2019, held October 27–31 in San Francisco, CA. To access the news items in their entirety, visit the online ACS Newsroom.
Half of surgery residents report harassment, bullying
HealthLeaders, October 28, 2019
“‘Preventing these types of mistreatment could reduce the huge problem of burnout in the specialty of surgery,’ said [Karl] Bilimoria, [MD, MS, FACS,] director of the Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.
“The survey findings [were] presented Monday at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco and published on the New England Journal of Medicine website.”
Half of surgical residents—especially women—experience workplace mistreatment
FierceHealthcare, October 29, 2019
“That exposure to discrimination, abuse and harassment in the surgical training environment is associated with burnout and suicidal thoughts, according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“The study findings were presented on Monday during the American College of Surgeons’ annual [C]linical [C]ongress in San Francisco.”
Tougher rules on opioids after surgery doesn’t mean more pain for patients
HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report, October 30, 2019
“The percentage of patients who did not receive any opioids after surgery more than doubled, from 12.7% before the new rules to 26% after the new rules.
“The study was to be presented Tuesday at the American College of Surgeons annual meeting, in San Francisco. Such research should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.”
Medical scribes help clinicians see more patients, study finds
Becker’s Health IT & CIO Report, October 30, 2019
“Incorporating medical scribes into workflows has helped clinicians see more patients, according to research findings presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019.
“Two attending surgeons at an outpatient surgical oncology practice at Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center piloted the study to evaluate how medical scribes impact clinician workflows. During a four-month timeframe, 335 clinical encounters were evaluated. Of the patient encounters, 183 were without scribes and 202 were with scribes.”
Delaying gallbladder surgery raises risk of complications
HealthDay/United Press International, October 31, 2019
“The study also found that blood clots in the legs and lungs, and bloodstream infections (sepsis) were more likely in the delayed surgical group. The odds of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of surgery were also higher for the delayed surgery group.
“The findings were to be presented Thursday at the American College of Surgeons annual meeting, in San Francisco. Findings presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.”
How bad can surgical training be? See these two new studies
Forbes, November 3, 2019
“A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine reaffirmed what many people in the medical profession should know already: a lot of physicians in training continue to suffer discrimination, abuse, and harassment and this type of garbage treatment is probably contributing to burnout issues. Another study presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in San Francisco showed that these problems go on well beyond training, suggesting deeper systems problems with the profession.”
Trauma outcomes worse with risk factors for heart disease and stroke
Reuters, November 8, 2019
“Hospital stays averaged 16.5 days for patients with metabolic syndrome, versus 11 days for the other patients. And ICU stays averaged 9 days with metabolic syndrome, versus 5 days without it, according to the study, which was presented at the American College of Surgeons’ Clinical Congress in San Francisco and published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.”
Short-term survival in patients aged 85 years and older after colorectal cancer surgery
The ASCO Post, November 12, 2019
“Results from a preliminary research study showed the majority of patients aged 85 years and older were still alive in the short-term after undergoing segmental colectomy for stage II and III colon cancer. Kaur et al presented these findings at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019.”
Surgeons test new wearable tech that helps measure operating skills
KPIX, November 14, 2019
“Now a Stanford scientist and her team are using the technology to help physicians boost the art of surgery. KPIX 5 got an exclusive look at their unusual experiment which recently unfolded at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
“The convention center was the location for the annual meeting for the American College of Surgeons, where roughly 10,000 surgeons from around the world converged to learn the latest in surgical techniques and to share information.”
San Francisco: #1 city in the U.S. for senior travelers
SFGate, November 17, 2019
“Would your parents agree? My octogenarian parents would. They have been coming to San Francisco once or twice a year to visit me, and also to attend meetings and conventions. They love it here. As a matter of fact my father just flew out for three days to attend the giant American College of Surgeons convention at Moscone Center last month.”
