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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedKanters AE, Evilsizer SK, Regenbogen SE
Correlation of colorectal surgical skill with patient outcomes: a cautionary tale.
Some have proposed that video-based skill assessments be used as a way to measure technical skills, quality improvement, and credentialing in colorectal surgeons and other practitioners. However, it must first be determined whether video-based assessments can accurately predict patient outcomes. The researchers assembled a panel of 10 peer surgeons to evaluate videos of minimally invasive colectomy procedures submitted by 21 surgeons. Each surgeon submitted one video, and the videos were edited to highlight key steps in the procedure. The panel and the surgeon participants were all associated with the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative. The panel used a validated American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons assessment instrument to rate the surgeon’s skills. The surgeon’s ratings were then linked to a validated registry of surgical outcomes, and the researchers assessed the relationship between skill level and risk-adjusted complication rates. The researchers found that after risk-adjustment there was no statistically significant difference in complication rates between the bottom (17.5%) and top (16.8%) quartile surgeons (p=0.41). The study concluded that there was no correlation between video-based peer rating of minimally invasive colectomy and postoperative complications among specialty surgeons, and that caution should be used when utilizing video review in credentialing.
AHRQ-funded; HS025365.
Citation: Kanters AE, Evilsizer SK, Regenbogen SE .
Correlation of colorectal surgical skill with patient outcomes: a cautionary tale.
Dis Colon Rectum 2022 Mar;65(3):444-51. doi: 10.1097/dcr.0000000000002124..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider Performance, Digestive Disease and Health, Outcomes
Thelen AE, Kendrick DE, Chen X
Novel method to link surgical trainee performance data to patient outcomes.
A significant roadblock in surgical education research has been the inability to compare trainee performance to the outcomes of those surgeons after they enter independent practice. In this study, the investigators described the feasibility of an innovative method to link trainee performance data with patient outcomes. They indicated that this innovation could enable future research investigating the relationship between surgical trainee performance and patient outcomes in independent practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS027653.
Citation: Thelen AE, Kendrick DE, Chen X .
Novel method to link surgical trainee performance data to patient outcomes.
Am J Surg 2021 Dec;222(6):1072-78. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.10.018..
Keywords: Surgery, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider Performance, Provider: Physician, Outcomes
Delaney LD, Kattapuram M, Haidar JA
The impact of surgeon adherence to preoperative optimization of hernia repairs.
This study looked at the ways that surgeon-level adherence to preoperative optimization impacts postoperative outcomes. A cohort of patients receiving hernia repair surgery were studied using data from the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative from 2014 to 2018. Adherence to preoperative optimization was defined as operating on patients who were nontobacco users with a body mass index of >18.5 kg/m2 and <40 kg/m2. Risk- and reliability-adjusted adherence rates were used to divide surgeons into tertiles. Across 70 Michigan hospitals, 15,016 patients underwent ventral and incisional hernia repair, cared for by 454 surgeons. Preoperative optimization rates ranged from 51% to 76%. Surgeons in the lowest tertile had higher rates of emergency department visits and serious complications versus any complication than middle and high optimization tertiles.
AHRQ-funded; HS025778.
Citation: Delaney LD, Kattapuram M, Haidar JA .
The impact of surgeon adherence to preoperative optimization of hernia repairs.
J Surg Res 2021 Aug;264:8-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.01.044..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, Outcomes
Greenberg CC, Byrnes ME, Engler TA
Association of a statewide surgical coaching program with clinical outcomes and surgeon perceptions.
Investigators assessed risk-adjusted outcomes and participant perceptions following a statewide coaching program for bariatric surgeons. They found that this surgical coaching program was perceived as valuable and surgeons reported numerous practice changes. Additionally, operative times improved, but there was no significant improvement in risk-adjusted outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Greenberg CC, Byrnes ME, Engler TA .
Association of a statewide surgical coaching program with clinical outcomes and surgeon perceptions.
Ann Surg 2021 Jun;273(6):1034-39. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000004800..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider Performance, Outcomes
Sheetz KH, Nuliyalu U, Nathan H
Association of surgeon case numbers of pancreaticoduodenectomies vs related procedures with patient outcomes to inform volume-based credentialing.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether surgeon experience with related procedures was associated with better outcomes for pancreaticoduodenectomy compared with procedure-specific experience alone. In this proof-of-concept cohort study, few surgeons met even modest annual volume thresholds for pancreaticoduodenectomy. The investigators indicated that inclusion of related procedure volumes may safely expand the cohort of surgeons credentialed to perform certain procedures under volume-based standards.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053; HS024763.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Nuliyalu U, Nathan H .
Association of surgeon case numbers of pancreaticoduodenectomies vs related procedures with patient outcomes to inform volume-based credentialing.
JAMA Netw Open 2020 Apr;3(4):e203850. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3850..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, Outcomes, Patient Safety
Shubeck SP, Kanters AE, Dimick JB
Surgeon leadership style and risk-adjusted patient outcomes.
The goal of this study was to determine if individual surgeons' personality traits and related leadership behaviors – such as participation in continuing education, effective self-reflection, and openness to feedback – correlated with patient-level outcomes after bariatric surgery. Surgeons from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative (MBSC) were administered the Life Styles Inventory (LSI) assessment, the results of which were then collapsed into three styles corresponding with particular patterns of individual thinking and behavior: constructive, passive/defensive, and aggressive/defensive. Patient-level risk-adjusted rates of complications after bariatric surgery were then used to quantify the impact surgeon style had on post-operative outcomes. The results of the study demonstrate that surgeons' leadership styles are correlated with surgical outcomes for their individual patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Shubeck SP, Kanters AE, Dimick JB .
Surgeon leadership style and risk-adjusted patient outcomes.
Surg Endosc 2019 Feb;33(2):471-74. doi: 10.1007/s00464-018-6320-z.
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Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Patient Safety, Outcomes, Provider: Physician, Surgery
Stevens H, Carlin AM, Ross R
Effect of surgeon age on bariatric surgery outcomes.
This study examined the effect of surgeon age on complication rates for bariatric surgery. A retrospective study was done with 71 surgeons in Michigan who participated in a statewide collaborative improvement program. Older surgeons performed more Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass (40%) and less sleeve gastrectomy (38.8%) than younger surgeons. There was not found to be any statistically significant differences in patient outcome between the two age groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS024403.
Citation: Stevens H, Carlin AM, Ross R .
Effect of surgeon age on bariatric surgery outcomes.
Ann Surg 2018 May;267(5):905-09. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002297..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Obesity, Outcomes, Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Provider Performance