Informed consent practices vary widely, impacting surgical patient decision-making and autonomy.

• Different procedures have inconsistent consent requirements, like written consent for arterial lines but not peripheral IVs.
• Context shapes disclosures; risks highlighted for mastectomy may not be for cardiac surgery.

Streamlining consent processes with standardized, patient-centered policies is vital for protecting autonomy.

• Efficiency pressures often lead to less experienced providers handling consent discussions, risking potential gaps in understanding.

Spatial analysis reveals geographic influences on surgical results and access, shaping patient selection and care strategies.

• Kernel density estimation can pinpoint geographic clusters of complications.
• Spatial autoregression models highlight both direct and spillover effects on outcomes.

Surgeons must carefully interpret spatial findings to avoid misleading conclusions.

• Bayesian approaches offer stable estimates, particularly in small-area studies.

Surgeons are eliciting patient values but often failing to integrate them into surgical decisions.

• 87% of surgeons reported eliciting patient values, but only 25% of cases saw those values impacting recommendations.
• 93% felt prepared to discuss values, yet 78% sought more training to improve integration.

Re-evaluating how we incorporate patient values could enhance shared decision-making and overall patient satisfaction.

• Key barriers included time constraints (70%) and lack of training (27%).