Learning New Operations and Introduction into Practice

Rapid advancements in surgical innovation continue to redefine patient care in the twenty-first century. As surgical treatment plans evolve to incorporate surgical innovation, we as providers must utilize defined practice guidelines to guide the effective deployment of new surgical techniques and technology into clinical practice today. One of the first steps to defining institutional and professional society-level protocols for surgical innovation implementation is having agreed upon definitions and language of what constitutes innovation as it relates to surgical technique, patient groups, and surgical devices. This crucial first step is necessary in order to delineate the credentialing and privileging pathways that allow surgeons to safely and legally define the scope of their practice. Financially, this also allows appropriate remuneration to hospitals and surgeons by healthcare agencies for patient care services provided. In this chapter, we will discuss the available frameworks to critically assess implementation of new technology and surgical techniques, describe the surgeon responsibilities and institutional responsibilities associated with implementation, as well as discuss the role of surgical societies in serving as flagship organizations in setting forth best practice guidelines for surgeons today. Finally, we will also touch upon the ethics of patient disclosure and available regulatory oversight to safely utilize “new” techniques and devices in patient care and the potential legal ramifications especially as it relates to the learning curve associated with surgical innovation.