Ethical problems special to surgery: surgical teaching, surgical innovation, and the surgeon in managed care.

This article will concern itself with 3 ethical challenges that are special to the role of the surgeon in our society. First is the teaching of surgery. This might be called "performing an operation for the first time (for the individual surgeon)." Second is surgical innovation. This might be termed "performing a new operation for the first time ever." The third ethical challenge is the role of the surgeon in managed care. This might be stated as "Can we trust corporations to provide all-risk coverage and freedom in clinical decisions?"