General Surgery 2.0: The Emergence of Acute Care Surgery in Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Surgery Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 79 - 83
• Main Authors: Hameed, S. Morad, MD, MPH, Brenneman, Frederick D., MD, Ball, Chad G., MD, MSc, Pagliarello, Joe, MD, Razek, Tarek, MD, Parry, Neil, MD, Widder, Sandy, MD, Minor, Sam, MD, Buczkowski, Andrzej, MD, MacPherson, Cailan, MD, Johner, Amanda, MD, Jenkin, Dan, MD, Wood, Leanne, MD, McLoughlin, Karen, BA, MN/ACNP(A), Anderson, Ian, MD, Davey, Doug, MD, Zabolotny, Brent, MD, Saadia, Roger, MD, Bracken, John, MD, Nathens, Avery, MD, PhD, Ahmed, Najma, MD, PhD, Panton, Ormond, MD, Warnock, Garth L., MD, MSc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada CMA Joule Inc 01.04.2010; CMA Impact, Inc; Canadian Medical Association
• Subjects: Canada; Critical care; Curriculum; Emergency Service, Hospital - organization & administration; Evidence-based medicine; General Surgery - education; Health aspects; Humans; Internship and Residency; Models, Organizational; Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; Patient Care Team; Patients; Practice; Quality Assurance, Health Care; Quill and Scalpel; Safety; Studies; Surgeons; Surgery; Surgery Department, Hospital - organization & administration; Traumatology - education; Canada
• ISSN: 0008-428X; 1488-2310

Over the past 5 years, there has been a groundswell of support in Canada for the development of organized, focused and multidisciplinary approaches to caring for acutely ill general surgical patients. Newly forged acute care surgery (ACS) services are beginning to provide prompt, evidence-based and goal-directed care to acutely ill general surgical patients who often present with a diverse range of complex pathologies and little or no pre- or postoperative planning. Through a team-based structure with attention to processes of care and information sharing, ACS services are well positioned to improve outcomes, while finding and developing efficiencies and reducing costs of surgical and emergency health care delivery. The ACS model also offers enhanced opportunities for surgical education for students, residents and practicing surgeons, and it will provide avenues to strengthen clinical and academic bonds between the community and academic surgical centres. In the near future, cooperation of ACS services from community and academic hospitals across the country will lead to the formation of systems of acute surgical care whose development will be informed by rigorous data collection and research and evidence-based quality-improvement initiatives. In an era of increasing subspecialization, ACS is a strong unifying force in general surgery and a platform for collective advocacy for an important patient population.