ABSTRACT
Traditionally, morbidity and mortality meetings have been the cornerstones of peer review. The ‘how’ and ‘when’ of such meetings were discussed by Campbell (1988), who emphasized that these meetings are obligatory for the recognition of a hospital for surgical training by the Royal College of Surgeons. In this context, complications are viewed from the educational standpoint without regard for possible consequences upon outcome and quality of care. In morbidity and mortality meetings, complications are often used as a measure of a surgeon’s competence – which some find a somewhat threatening scenario. However, with recent high-profile complications of surgery in various centres and in today’s ‘no-blame’ environment, surgeons must be seen to be addressing their complications and taking appropriate counteraction.
