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  Vol. 134 No. 10, October 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Enough Is Enough

Alden H. Harken, MD
Denver, Colo

Arch Surg. 1999;134:1061-1063.

Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

NO ONE ever really wants to undergo a surgical procedure. Conversely, when the right operation is performed for the right reasons, accurately and expeditiously, on the right patient at the right time, the results are formidably gratifying to both patient and surgeon. The problem is the latter. As surgeons, we believe in our profession; we also believe in ourselves, and some of us believe in miracles, while others rely on them. We combat aging and disease with inspirationally effective tools. Ultimately, aging and disease will win. We must, therefore, consciously and honestly balance the physiological, psychological, social, and financial insults of surgery against the anticipated benefits. In this balancing act, we are not unique among our medical colleagues—just the most conspicuous.

We live in an era in which measures of both anticipated surgical risk and expected outcome are being assessed as the quality of health care . . . [Full Text of this Article]

TOOLS TO ASSESS POTENTIAL SURGICAL RISK


TOOLS TO ASSESS PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFIT

TOOLS TO ASSESS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HAPPINESS

COMMONSENSE STRATEGIES TO ASSESS INDIVIDUAL PATIENT HAPPINESS

ANTICIPATED PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFIT EXCEEDS RISK

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH


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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Evidence-Based Science: A Worthwhile Mode of Surgical Inquiry
Arya et al.
Arch Surg 2002;137:1301-1303.
FULL TEXT  

The Role, Focus, and Funding of Research in a Department of Surgery
Harken
Arch Surg 2001;136:154-157.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Patient's Right to Truly Informed Consent
Douglass
Arch Surg 2000;135:875-876.
FULL TEXT  





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