Publishing individual surgeons' results online
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Some health systems publish the results of individual surgeons online, including how often each surgeon's patients have serious complications or die after an operation. Supporters say patients have a right to this information when choosing a surgeon, and that publishing it pushes surgeons who are performing poorly to improve. Critics say surgeons may start turning away the sickest, highest-risk patients to protect their numbers, and that the figures can mislead patients who do not understand them. Should individual surgeons' results be made public? Discuss the arguments on both sides.
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Health systems and advocacy
- Critical thinking
- Ethical reasoning
How to approach this question
This MMI policy station tests whether you can hold two goods against each other: a patient's right to know how a surgeon performs, and the risk that public numbers push surgeons away from the sickest patients who most need them. Lay out the arguments on both sides fairly before you take a position, including patient autonomy, accountability for patient safety, and the danger of figures that mislead without context. Ask aloud whether results could account for how sick each surgeon's patients were, and who would explain the numbers to the public. Then reach a clear view, such as publication with safeguards or no publication at all, and say what would change your mind. When the station brings new evidence about how surgeons behaved, treat it as data, say plainly whether it shifts your position, and explain why.
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