title: Patients as partners in innovation.
abstract: As the culture of medical practice has evolved, so has the relationship between the physician and patient. This is decidedly true with regards to the introduction of innovative therapies, especially in the surgical arena. A critical challenge is identifying and defining innovative therapy. Is the proposed treatment an incremental change, a research proposal, or more commonly someplace in between? This gray area creates a transition zone commonly referred to as innovative therapy. Given the complexities of the current landscape of innovation, innovation therapy committees may provide a mechanism to help to guide both physicians and patients through such difficult topics as the process of informed consent, managing conflicts of interest, and how to evaluate the outcomes of innovative therapies. As surgical innovation remains critical to the advancement of care, it must occur in a transparent partnership with patients, under the eye of guiding entities, aimed at ultimately improving outcomes and care.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton Children's Hospital, Dayton, OH; Kaleidoscope, Inc., Cincinnati, OH.
authors.forename: Sean J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address: sbarnett@kascope.com.
authors.forename: Aviva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D016265:Conflict of Interest; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000592:standards*; D062069:Inventions / Q000592:standards*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D010358:Patient Participation; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Conflict of interest; Informed consent; Innovative therapy; Surgical innovation