Outcomes in thoracic surgical management of non-small cell lung cancer. J Surg Oncol 2014 Oct;110(5):539-42
Date
08/30/2014Pubmed ID
25171225DOI
10.1002/jso.23766Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84921709022 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
Thoracic surgeons traditionally have measured their outcomes in terms of mortality, complication rates, recurrence patterns, and long-term survival for their cancer patients. These metrics of quality continue to be important today, but increasingly surgeons are under scrutiny for resource utilization, patient experience, and cost effectiveness. Intelligent decisions about resource use require knowledge of utility, disutility, and cost -- information that is still limited and not easily implemented at the time treatment decisions are made. If we accept the proposition that lung cancer care requires a multidisciplinary team making best use of available resources to minimize unwarranted variation, maximize outcomes, and control costs, then three critical needs can be identified: consensus on goals, robust data, and alignment of incentives across disciplines.
Author List
Wyler von Ballmoos MC, Johnstone DWAuthor
David Johnstone MD Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungHumans
Lung Neoplasms
Thoracic Surgical Procedures
Treatment Outcome
