Fading boundary between gastroenterology and surgery.
The developments of minimally invasive surgery and therapeutic endoscopy have blurred the traditional distinctions between surgical and medical disciplines. Maintenance of the time-honoured separation of surgery and medicine now hinders the full flowering of innovative interventions. Patient care, clinical research and education in digestive disorders require structural realignment, as is being attempted in the Digestive Disease Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Cotton
P B
PB
Digestive Disease Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA. cottonp@musc.edu
D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005544:Forecasting; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000639:trends*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D013502:General Surgery / Q000639:trends*; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans