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Call for Papers

David R. Flum, MD, MPH; John L. Zeller, MD, PhD; Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD, MBA

JAMA. 2009;301(2):218.

It is estimated that, worldwide, more than 230 million major operations are performed each year.¹ Surgical procedures may encompass a wide spectrum of complexity and indications, from emergency interventions (such as appendectomy), to lifesaving or life-extending operations (such as liver transplantation), to elective surgical interventions (such as total joint replacement), to cosmetic surgery procedures (such as breast augmentation).

Major developments such as the expanded use and applications of minimally invasive techniques, an increasing proportion of operations and interventional procedures conducted without the need for hospitalization, and recent emphasis on the importance of critically assessing outcomes of surgical care are changing the practice of surgery. With the worldwide growth of surgery, the appropriateness, effectiveness, safety, cost, and relevance to other components of health care are being increasingly scrutinized. Research in surgery has shifted focus from technical reporting to a broader consideration of the role of surgery and surgical systems in patients' lives and in health care.

To focus attention on these developments, JAMA will publish a theme issue on surgery and the public's health in October 2009. Surgical, interventional, and anesthetic technology and techniques are advancing and procedures are becoming more feasible in more patients and in more environments, and they are being performed by multiple groups of clinicians. Therefore, this theme issue provides an opportunity to recognize research into the broader role of surgery in improving the public's health and the role and practice of surgical and interventional care in the evolving health care system.

We invite authors to submit manuscripts on topics relevant for surgical/interventional care and public health to be considered for publication in this theme issue. High-quality original research papers, especially those reporting the results of rigorous clinical trials of surgical interventions, will receive the highest priority. We encourage submission of manuscripts reporting results of studies examining surgical epidemiology, appropriateness of care, shared decision making, comparative effectiveness, patient-centered outcomes, cost-effectiveness, surgical delivery systems, perioperative care, and the delivery of surgical/interventional care for patients with chronic disease and for the aging population. Research reports, as well as systematic reviews and scholarly commentaries that address health care policy as it relates to surgical and interventional care, quality improvement interventions, health system and clinician behavior, informed consent and clinician accountability, the role of genomics in perioperative risk and management, and workforce composition are also of interest.

Manuscripts received by May 1, 2009, will have the best chance of consideration for publication in the surgery and the public's health theme issue. High-quality articles also may be published in other issues of JAMA, or if not suitable for JAMA may be referred, with the authors' permission, for possible publication in one of our Archives specialty journals. Authors are encouraged to consult the JAMA instructions for authors² for guidelines on manuscript preparation and submission.

We look forward to receiving manuscripts on the role of surgical/interventional care in the changing patient population and the evolving health care system, with the hope of providing insights into the opportunities and challenges of this most invasive of biomedical fields.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Financial Disclosures: None reported.

Editorials represent the opinions of the authors and JAMA and not those of the American Medical Association.

Author Affiliations: Drs Flum and Zeller are Contributing Editors and Dr Fontanarosa (phil.fontanarosa{at}jama-archives.org) is Executive Deputy Editor, JAMA.

REFERENCES
1. Weiser TG, Regenbogen SE, Thompson KD; et al. An estimation of the global volume of surgery: a modeling strategy based on the available data. Lancet. 2008;372(9633):139-144. FULL TEXT | WEB OF SCIENCE | PUBMED 2. JAMA instructions for authors. http://www.jama.com/instructions. Accessed December 15, 2008.

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