Closing a regulatory gap to ensure patient safety in all surgical procedures
Health services are delivered in a variety of settings, including public and private hospitals, day surgeries and practitioner offices. Office-based surgery has been practised safely in the United States for many years,1 and has been embraced by surgical specialties such as otolaryngology,2 vascular surgery,3 general surgery including endoscopy, and plastic and reconstructive surgery including cosmetic procedures. However, unlike hospitals and day surgeries, office-based settings do not have regulations and quality controls in place to ensure that acceptable levels of care are implemented and monitored.
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I am an elected councillor of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.