Wyss Zurich Translational Center, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Department of Surgery and Transplantation, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Ann Surg. 2024 Nov 1;280(5):696-705. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006486. Epub 2024 Aug 8.
To define the concept of surgeon-scientists and identify the root causes of their decline in number and impact. The secondary aim was to provide actionable remedies.
Surgeons who conduct research in addition to patient care are referred to as "surgeon-scientists." While their value to society remains undisputed, their numbers and associated impact have been plunging. While reasons have been well identified along with proposals for countermeasures, their application has largely failed.
We conducted a systematic review covering all aspects of surgeon-scientists together with a global online survey among 141 young academic surgeons. Using gap analysis, we determined implementation gaps for proposed measures. Then, we developed a comprehensive rescue package.
A surgeon-scientist must actively and continuously engage in both patient care and research. Competence in either field must be established through protected training and criteria of excellence, particularly reflecting contribution to innovation. The decline of surgeon-scientists has reached an unprecedented magnitude. Leadership turning hospitals into "profit factories" is one reason, a flawed selection process not exclusively based on excellence is another. Most importantly, the appreciation for the academic mission has vanished. Along with fundamentally addressing these root causes, surgeon-scientists' path to excellence must be streamlined, and their continuous devotion to innovation cherished.
The journey of the surgeon-scientist is at a crossroads. As a society, we either adapt and shift our priorities again towards innovation or capitulate to greed for profit, permanently losing these invaluable professionals. Successful rescue packages must not only involve hospitals and universities but also the political sphere.
定义外科医生科学家的概念，并找出导致其数量和影响力下降的根本原因。次要目的是提供可行的补救措施。
除了患者护理之外还进行研究的外科医生被称为“外科医生科学家”。尽管他们对社会的价值仍然无可争议，但他们的数量和相关影响力一直在下降。虽然已经明确了原因，并提出了对策，但这些对策的应用在很大程度上都失败了。
我们对外科医生科学家的各个方面进行了系统的回顾，并对 141 名年轻的学术外科医生进行了全球在线调查。我们使用差距分析确定了拟议措施的实施差距。然后，我们制定了一个全面的拯救计划。
外科医生科学家必须积极并持续地从事患者护理和研究工作。在这两个领域的能力都必须通过受保护的培训和卓越标准来建立，特别是要反映对创新的贡献。外科医生科学家的减少已经达到了前所未有的程度。将医院变成“利润工厂”的领导层是一个原因，另一个原因是不纯粹基于卓越的有缺陷的选拔过程。最重要的是，对学术使命的重视已经消失。除了从根本上解决这些根本原因外，还必须简化外科医生科学家追求卓越的途径，并珍视他们对创新的持续奉献。
外科医生科学家的道路正处于十字路口。作为一个社会，我们要么适应并再次将重点转向创新，要么屈服于对利润的贪婪，永久失去这些宝贵的专业人员。成功的拯救计划不仅必须涉及医院和大学，还必须涉及政治领域。
