Abstract
Since the first report of the relationship between volume and outcome in surgery by Luft et al. in 1979, many different original studies and systematic reviews have reported a positive relationship between hospital volume and clinical outcome for different surgical procedures. Starting from there, specific national policies have been implemented worldwide to centralize highly complex procedures with the aim of improving the overall quality of care. However, despite the long-standing literature in favor of the volume-outcome relationship and of the consequent centralization of certain high-risk operations, many aspects require further investigation. This introductory chapter covers the brief history of the topic and opens this collection of contributions from outstanding, world-renowned authors with the hope of sustaining the volume-outcome relationship in oncological surgery with objective data and thoughts.
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Donadon, M., Montorsi, M. (2021). The Relationship Between Volume and Outcome in Surgery: A Brief Introduction. In: Montorsi, M. (eds) Volume-Outcome Relationship in Oncological Surgery. Updates in Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51806-6_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51806-6_1
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