Use of a Risk Calculator Could Improve Judgment of Operative Risk

Consideration of data from a risk calculator leads to more accurate and less varied judgments of risk by surgeons, according to a study published in the December 2016 Annals of Surgery. The authors presented a national sample of surgeons with a series of clinical vignettes, in which the best treatment strategy was uncertain, and asked them how likely they were to recommend an operation. The surgeons were also asked to assess the risks and benefits of operative and nonoperative management. About half of the surgeons (395 surgeons) were also given data from a risk calculator to assist in their decision making, while the rest (384 surgeons) made up the control group.