Equity under the knife: justice and evidence in surgery.

Abstract

Surgery is an increasingly common and expensive mode of medical intervention. The ethical dimensions of the surgeon-patient relationship including respect for personal autonomy and informed consent are much discussed, but broader equity issues have not received the same attention. This paper extends the understanding of surgical ethics by considering the nature of evidence in surgery and its relationship to a just provision of healthcare for individuals and their populations. Keywords: Surgery; Equity; Justice; Evidence; Health technology assessments; Public health ethics