Terra Miller
Concomitant, or concurrent, surgery, a potentially contentious practice, has been brought national discussion particularly after the publication of “Clash in the Name of Care” in the Boston Globe (1). This editorial explored the use of concurrent surgical practices among various specialties at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and related some of the worst potential outcomes that may be related to...
Russell L. Blaylock, MD. Humanix Books, New York. 2016. Pp 391.Russell Blaylock, MD, proves that there is a life after neurosurgery. After 30 years of practice, he decided he could do more good by teaching people what to eat and what supplements they need for good health. He has now written a best-selling book about his management of 70...
When considering patients for surgery, most if not all neurosurgeons ask themselves, at some point, what they would want done for themselves or for their loved ones. Not a few patients and families ask the same question and for good reason. While the question doesn’t guarantee an honest answer, few of us would not give one.Planning more than one...
Health care in the U.S. is becoming increasingly subdivided and subspecialized. Neurosurgical care is no exception. An increasing number of neurosurgical graduates pursue additional training in the form of a fellowship in order to further perfect their surgical skills and develop expertise in a specific clinical arena. Two recent high profile examples have been the rise of endovascular and...
Clinical data registries have become valuable tools to support evidence development, performance assessment, comparative effectiveness studies and adoption of new treatments into routine clinical practice. As a recognized participant in the Surgical Quality Alliance (SQA), the NeuroPoint Alliance (NPA) focuses its clinical registry efforts on promoting the quality of patient care and providing physicians with the means to assess...
Core competencies and simulation are popular buzz words in the lexicon of contemporary graduate medical education. Additionally, the development of more comprehensive and uniform curricular structure and metrics for measuring competency have evolved in graduate medical/surgical education in the recent past. These changes might suggest that trainees across programs should be exposed to similar learning environments and thus, be...
Buckminister Fuller, the great American architect, scientist and philosopher, is often accredited with creating the concept of “The Knowledge Doubling Time.” It has been said that, prior to the 20th century, human knowledge would double roughly every century. By the end of World War II, it was estimated that knowledge would double every 25 years. In the internet age,...
For some, opportunity knocks upon completion of residency, but some of us can hear a faint knocking during residency. Of course, it is sometimes hard to perceive, with the sleep-deprivation-induced delirium. Was that knocking I heard, or the rattling of the chains of residency? Is there even a knocker on my door? It is starting to transform into my...
In this installment of International for AANS Neurosurgeon, we revisit a prior story. Dr. William Copeland previously wrote about his experience as a resident working at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. He has since returned to Tenwek as part of the two-year post-residency program through Samaritan’s Purse, responding to a higher calling to help people. Here is a unique story...
My pencil drawing displays the elemental tools of both surgery and art. The hand is the common denominator: whether wielding a pencil or a scalpel, it leaves a mark. One is used to depict the other on paper.The simple implements of both art and surgery are building blocks. From drawing comes painting, sculpture and video. From incision skills, we...
