According to the Boston Globe and Fierce writer Zack Budryk, surgeons in Massachusetts may soon have to document when they enter or leave the operating room during a surgery. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine has approved the rule, but before it can take effect it must have the approval of several state agencies. Another stipulation is that primary surgeons must designate a backup doctor to assume their responsibilities if they leave the operating room.
Mass Board of Registration Tells Surgeons to Stay Put in OR
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Secondary
The underlying questions being raised relate to, are surgeons being stretched too thin? Are they being scheduled for more than one surgery at a time? Are patients learning, after the fact, that their surgeons were scheduled for another procedure at the same time as theirs?
The Boston Globe reported that three patients, including former Red Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks, are suing a former spinal surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital over their inability to determine, based on medical records, whether he was present during their procedure due to multiple schedules listing him as attending surgeon during overlapping surgeries.
Other Boston hospitals report that they already document the movement in and out of operating rooms of the surgeons as well as the nurses. Massachusetts Nurses Association spokesman David Schildmeier called the vote a positive development.
Not everyone is in agreement. Partners HealthCare CEO David Torchiana, M.D., told the Globe writer, “There are people in this city who are alive today after the Boston Marathon bombings that went to all of our teaching hospitals and we opened up rooms and did a bunch of surgeries simultaneously.”
Please visit the Boston Globe for the original article at https://apps.bostonglobe.com/spotlight/clash-in-the-name-of-care/story/
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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