Operating room time as a limited resource: ethical considerations for allocation.

Scheduling surgical procedures among operating rooms (ORs) is mistakenly regarded as merely a tedious administrative task. However, the growing demand for surgical care and finite hours in a day qualify OR time as a limited resource. Accordingly, the objective of this manuscript is to reframe the process of OR scheduling as an ethical dilemma of allocating scarce medical resources. Recommendations for ethical allocation of OR time-based on both familiar and novel ethical values-are provided for healthcare institutions and individual surgeons.

The Legacy of a Neurosurgeon: A U.S.-Based Obituary Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Textual analysis of obituaries provides insight into the shared values of a profession or community. Neurosurgeon obituaries are frequently published in both the medical literature and the lay press, but the content of these works has never been analyzed. METHODS: Using obituary pieces from Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery, and the New York Times, frequent terms were quantified through preliminary text analysis to derive the relative importance of concepts such as innovation, research, training and family. The sentiment of these obituaries was qualitatively reviewed to approximate perceptions of neurosurgical legacy within the profession and the general public. RESULTS: Thirty relevant obituaries with full text available were identified in the Journal of Neurosurgery, 14 were identified in Neurosurgery, and 23 were identified in the New York Times. Both neurosurgical journals and lay press articles relied on linear narratives, with greater emphasis on professional leadership and residency training in neurosurgical journals and proportionally greater mention of family in the lay press. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary text analysis of neurosurgeon obituaries suggest what values are shared among the professional community and general public regarding the legacy of a neurosurgeon.