Patient Care
General Surgeons are master clinicians. The practice of general surgery requires not only a profound understanding of surgical diseases, but also a working knowledge of general internal and critical care medicine. Every day, General Surgeons perform life-saving technical procedures in emergencies, as well as planned surgeries that improve the lives of patients living with cancer and other chronic disease. General Surgeons are indispensable specialists for patient care; there can be no general hospital without at least one General Surgeon on staff. The ability to provide critical and effective Patient Care in so many different situations is a defining feature of the specialty of General Surgery.
The challenge of improving Patient Care is one of CAGS’ biggest opportunities. Quality—the extent to which care is effective, efficient, accessible, patient-centered, equitable, and safe—has become the focus of health care improvement advocates in Canada and around the world, as has safety—the avoidance of harm caused by providing care. Improving the Quality and Safety of care for patients treated by General Surgeons is of paramount importance to CAGS.
CAGS works with agencies, healthcare institutions, surgeon-champions and practicing surgeons to expand and advance the current quality improvement landscape in Canada. Some jurisdictions and subspecialties have mature and well-supported quality improvement approaches; others have very little support for quality improvement. Even small incremental improvements in quality of care, if implemented at the population level in General Surgery, could result in huge benefits in patient outcomes and in the value of healthcare.
In partnership with the provinces and health quality agencies, CAGS will create a quality improvement network to serve as the platform for the dissemination of best practices for General Surgery, and to support Canadian standards for measuring the quality and safety of General Surgery care.
Useful links:
Best Practice in Surgery http://www.bestpracticeinsurgery.ca/
Canadian Patient Safety Institute www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca
