BACKGROUND: We conducted a survey to determine whether hernia surgeons follow evidence-based medicine (EBM) criteria in their daily routine. METHODS: All chiefs of general surgery in Styria (Austria) received a short, simple, two-page, 10-item questionnaire. RESULTS: We analyzed completed surveys from 15 departments reporting 2441 hernia repairs with a mean patient age of 57.5 +/- 11.6 years. Although five techniques accounted for 96.6% of procedures, the frequency of use of each technique varied considerably among the hospitals. There were high numbers of laparoscopic (36.8%) and sutured (19.9%) repairs. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the great variance among the evaluated hospitals as to surgical methods and indications, this survey showed that inguinal hernia surgery does not currently comply with EBM.
BACKGROUND: We conducted a survey to determine whether hernia surgeons follow evidence-based medicine (EBM) criteria in their daily routine. METHODS: All chiefs of general surgery in Styria (Austria) received a short, simple, two-page, 10-item questionnaire. RESULTS: We analyzed completed surveys from 15 departments reporting 2441 hernia repairs with a mean patient age of 57.5 +/- 11.6 years. Although five techniques accounted for 96.6% of procedures, the frequency of use of each technique varied considerably among the hospitals. There were high numbers of laparoscopic (36.8%) and sutured (19.9%) repairs. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the great variance among the evaluated hospitals as to surgical methods and indications, this survey showed that inguinal hernia surgery does not currently comply with EBM.
Authors: M Bay-Nielsen; H Kehlet; L Strand; J Malmstrøm; F H Andersen; P Wara; P Juul; T Callesen Journal: Lancet Date: 2001-10-06 Impact factor: 79.321
Authors: Leigh Neumayer; Anita Giobbie-Hurder; Olga Jonasson; Robert Fitzgibbons; Dorothy Dunlop; James Gibbs; Domenic Reda; William Henderson Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2004-04-25 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Gerwin A Bernhardt; Gerald Gruber; Benjamin S Molderings; Herwig Cerwenka; Mathias Glehr; Christian Giessauf; Peter Kornprat; Andreas Leithner; Hans-Jörg Mischinger Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2013-09-06 Impact factor: 4.584