Present and future of surgicalist system in Korea

Abstract

As the need for medical services increases, interest in the quality improvement of healthcare and patient safety is also increasing. This study aimed to propose a surgical hospitalist or surgicalist system in Korea. Specifically, it has been suggested that the essential capacities of the surgicalist, including their understanding of surgery, wound management, emergency management, surgical nutrition, and education, may be useful in improving the quality of healthcare and patient safety. The key characteristic of the surgicalist system is that surgeons are “readily available” in the hospital ward to provide primary care for hospitalized patients. Surgicalists provide both perioperative and advanced primary care. As the population ages, the number of high-risk patients who are undergoing major operations increases. The surgicalist system, which is responsible for the perioperative management and advanced primary care of inpatients, is expected to expand rapidly. The shift from the vertical surgeon-resident-centered system to the horizontal surgeon-surgicalist-centered system can help provide high-quality care for patients, and a systematic training system for residents. In addition, it is necessary to define the essential capacities of the surgicalist, and to determine the research and education that can promote them.