title: CAGS lecture. Scientific salients in surgery.
abstract: Surgery, as a field of clinical skill and scientific knowledge, advances by Discovery, Development and Delivery. While the basic biosciences have been more productive in Discovery than have the clinical fields, surgery has participated in several important areas of Discovery. Developmental science is often called biomedical engineering. In this activity, surgery has been pre-eminent, while it is the study and perfection of Delivery that holds such promise for the future of surgery. Distribution and regionalization of operations, bidirectional referral flow, manpower norms and analysis of adverse outcomes are important horizons for study in surgical care delivery.
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D013502:General Surgery / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D012586:Science; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D000078329:Workforce