Ian Harris – Abstract

Evidence-based surgery

Harris I
University of New South Wales, Australia

Surgery has long flown under the radar regarding effectiveness research, with new procedures introduced based largely on biological plausibility and observational evidence. Recent improvements in the methodology of surgical effectiveness research has shown surgery to be lacking, with many procedures that were once standard practice now no longer used. The evidence base for surgery is poor and newer, higher quality methods (and regulations) are required to raise the level of evidence to what should be required for such expensive and potentially harmful interventions.