Acute care surgery: real or imagined threat to the general surgeon.

摘要

Since the development of an advanced training program known as Acute Care Surgery by the professional trauma societies of North America, some general surgeons have argued that this "specialty" has generated unnecessary threats to their credentialing and practices. Although we endorse and applaud those general surgeons who serve the needs of patients with a broad range of surgical conditions, there are also some who have focused their practices to such a degree as they no longer desire nor feel obliged and/or competent to take general surgical and trauma/ emergency calls. To compound this issue, the national shortage of general surgeons enhances this problem because there are simply not enough of us to be available to provide timely care for patients, especially those who present with some complex conditions.