Informed Consent for Academic Surgeons: A Curriculum-Based Update.

Introduction: The principles of consent are evolving but remain an important part of the surgeon-patient relationship. The goal of this course was a concise, contemporary review of the principles of informed consent that would be favorably received by academic surgeons.

Methods: The curriculum consisted of ethicohistorical and legal principles, current requirements, and new consent developments.

Communication Skills Training for Surgical Inpatient Advanced Practice Providers in an Academic Health-Care System.

Background: Good communication skills enhance the patient experience, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction.

Objective: A course was developed by an interdisciplinary team (surgeon, nurse practitioner, and nurse MBA) for advanced practice providers (APPs) working for the department of surgery-a mix of practice and hospital-employed professionals-to enhance communications skills in an inpatient setting.

Methods: Current concepts on provider-patient communication were discussed.

Tipping the scales: educating surgeons about medical malpractice.

Background: In Pennsylvania, medical malpractice premiums are a major cost to surgeons. Yet surgeons often have little if any education in the basics of tort litigation or how to manage their risk. This work describes one approach for educating academic faculty surgeons on current concepts of medical malpractice and provide some guidance on how to "tip the scales of justice"; or minimize the risks of being named in a malpractice claim.