Surgery by non-surgeons: podiatric surgery in Connecticut

Area of Science:

• Podiatric Surgery
• Healthcare Administration
• Surgical Credentialing

Background:

• Podiatric surgery standards are crucial for patient safety and quality care.
• Existing credentialing and privilege delineation processes vary across institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine current standards for credentialing, privilege delineation, and quality assurance of podiatric surgery in Connecticut.
• To provide recommendations for establishing new podiatric surgical programs.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was mailed to all acute care hospitals in Connecticut.
• A 100% institutional response rate was achieved.

Main Results:

• 25 out of 38 hospitals grant clinical privileges to podiatrists.
• 12 hospitals have full podiatric surgical programs; seven have multitiered privileges.
• Credentialing and quality assurance are typically managed by surgical or orthopedic chiefs with staff podiatrist input.

Conclusions:

• The Connecticut experience offers insights into establishing podiatric surgical programs.
• Recommendations are proposed for standardizing credentialing, privilege delineation, and quality assurance for podiatric surgeons.