title: The safety of office-based surgery: review of recent literature from several disciplines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review recent literature pertaining to adverse outcomes and mortality associated with office-based surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Representative articles from the general and plastic surgery, medical, health regulatory, and dermatology literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information regarding which surgical treatments should be performed, which specialties should perform them, what level of anesthesia is appropriate, and who should administer it was assessed, with particular attention to issues of patient safety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Office-based surgery is safe and cost-effective. We caution against attempts to prohibit or severely restrict this important aspect of medical care.
authors.affiliation: Center for Dermatology Research, Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1071, USA.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hancox
authors.forename: Arun P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Venkat
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coldiron
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Phillip M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Williford
mesh_terms: D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety