WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- In an organized trauma program with senior surgical mentoring, mortality is no different for patients treated by novice surgeons than for those treated by an experienced trauma director, according to a study published in the August issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Elliott R. Haut, M.D., of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of 13,894 patients who were evaluated during a 10-year period at an academic level I trauma center. Their first analysis concurrently compared patients treated by novice surgeons versus the experienced surgeon after implementation of a more structured trauma program. Their second analysis compared patients in the novice group before and after implementation of the program.
The researchers' first analysis showed no difference in mortality among patients treated by novice surgeons versus those treated by an experienced trauma surgeon (odds ratio, 1.33). Their second analysis showed that mortality in patients treated by novice surgeons significantly improved over time (odds ratio, 0.56).
"Together, these data support the belief that in a structured trauma program, surgeons with vastly different levels of training can safely provide care and obtain equivalent outcomes," the authors write. "System effects outweigh any potential benefits of individual surgeon experience in the care of trauma patients. The implementation of an organized trauma program with evidence-based protocols and senior surgical guidance may have a greater effect on mortality than individual surgeon experience alone."
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