A Qualitative Study on Surgeon Perceptions of Risk Calculators in Emergency General Surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical Decision-Making
• Health Informatics
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Emergency general surgery (EGS) presents complex management choices.
• Risk calculators can support shared decision-making and informed consent processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore emergency surgeons' perceptions of risk calculators in EGS.
• To identify benefits and concerns associated with using risk calculators in EGS.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 emergency surgeons.
• Inductive analysis within a modified grounded theory framework was used.

Main Results:

• Surgeons expressed concerns regarding risk calculator validity and health numeracy limitations.
• Calculators were perceived as beneficial for communication, consensus, informed consent, and litigation mitigation.
• The ideal EGS risk calculator should be user-friendly, incorporate accurate data, and provide interpretable output.

Conclusions:

• Surgeons recognize the potential benefits of risk calculators in EGS, even with initial data validation concerns.
• Convenience and relevance are key features for ideal risk calculator implementation in EGS.
• Further research should investigate patient perceptions and observe actual usage patterns.