ABSTRACT

It is essential for a surgeon to understand the educational and legal framework in which he or she works. The agenda for medical education and both clinical and research governance requires surgeons to expand their skills to encompass audit and clinical research capabilities as useful tools for continued outcome measurement, service improvement and innovations for the benefit of patient care. The aim of this chapter is to enable improvements in patient experience as a result of a successful audit cycle or by recognising the need for clinical research to determine a new and innovative way of treatment. It will also show how to keep track of personal clinical results. In addition, much clinical work is tedious and repetitive. Rigorous evaluation of even the most simple techniques and conditions can help to keep a surgeon stimulated throughout a long career and ensure good outcomes for patients, with cost benefits to the provider and a benefit to society as a whole.