USA Surgery Today

From the late nineteenth century on, when William Stewart Halsted introduced the concept of surgery as a viable academic discipline, surgical research has been responsible for ongoing advancements in patient care (4,5). Since this time, the cornerstone of clinical research in surgery has been observation only (6,7). Observation begins with careful assessment of the results of one’s own outcomes in his or her patients and extends to the study that is currently the backbone of clinical research in surgery (8,9).

Observational studies have provided much valuable information advancing the cause of patient care.