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The Hidden Secret Behind Surgical Mastery

It’s All About Teamwork

Mustapha H
2 min readAug 13, 2023
Picture inside operating room in a hospital showing medical team at work.
Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash

One summer, while lounging on the beach, I dived into a research paper that forever changed how I viewed surgical success. This wasn’t just any study; it delved deep into pediatric surgeries in the US, aiming to uncover what truly sets top-tier surgeons apart.

Practice Makes Perfect, But There’s a Twist

It’s no shocker that practice sharpens skills. The more a surgeon operates, the better they get. For instance, a surgeon handling a specific procedure 100 times a year might see a 1% mortality rate. But ramp that up to 800 times a year? The rate drops to a jaw-dropping 0.25%.

Yet, the plot thickened. These same surgeons, when whisked away to different hospitals, saw their mortality rate bounce back to 1%. What gives?

The Unsung Heroes: Cohesive Surgical Teams

This was the eureka moment. The magic wasn’t just in the surgeon’s hands but in the harmony of the entire surgical team. Change the team, and the magic fades.

We’re often guilty of putting individuals on pedestals, forgetting that behind every successful person is a rock-solid team. Surgery isn’t a one-man show. It’s a dance of impeccable communication, split-second…

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Mustapha H
Mustapha H

Written by Mustapha H

I'm passionate about poetry, nature, travel, and exploring life through reading, writing, and communicating.

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