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Transparency in Surgery

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Difficult Decisions in Surgical Ethics

Part of the book series: Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach ((DDSURGERY))

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Abstract

For most patients, surgery is an unknown experience laden with unfamiliar terms and complex considerations. Inevitably, this foreign environment creates uncertainty, which can give rise to fear and anxiety. For patients to make informed decisions, surgical teams must work to help patients understand the peri-operative process. These discussions should disclose relevant information a patient would need to make decisions, while avoiding unnecessary details. This delicate balance has become even more challenging with the advent of audiovisual recording capabilities that can offer an objective account of operating room proceedings while the patient is under anesthesia. Does the potential for “total transparency” require more thorough disclosures from the surgeon? Should patients have access to audio and/or video recordings? What should surgeons discuss with patients regarding the logistics and proceedings of a routine operating room? These questions fall under the purview of surgical transparency research and will be explored in this chapter.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA

    Alan T. Makhoul

  2. Department of Plastic Surgery, Department of Biomedical Informatics and Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Brian C. Drolet

  3. Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Alexander Langerman

Authors
  1. Alan T. Makhoul
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  2. Brian C. Drolet
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  3. Alexander Langerman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander Langerman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Chicago Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Vassyl A. Lonchyna

  2. Providence Children’s Surgical Services St. Vincent Hospital, Portland, OR, USA

    Peggy Kelley

  3. Department of Surgery MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Peter Angelos

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Makhoul, A.T., Drolet, B.C., Langerman, A. (2022). Transparency in Surgery. In: Lonchyna, V.A., Kelley, P., Angelos, P. (eds) Difficult Decisions in Surgical Ethics. Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84625-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84625-1_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-84624-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-84625-1

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