CL02: SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE SURGERY: A MODEL ORGANIZATION FOR IMPLEMENTING SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE PRACTICE IN TRAINING PROGRAMS
Megan Janeway, MD¹, Maunil Bhatt, MD¹, Lisa Allee, LICSW, MSW¹, Sabrina Sanchez, MD, MPH^1,2, Tracey Dechert, MD, FACS^1,2; ¹Boston Medical Center, ²Boston University School of Medicine

Background: Disparities in surgical care are well recognized. There are increasing calls to address inequities in surgical care, however we lack strategies on practical integration of social responsibility into busy surgical training programs.

Methods: We intend to present the framework that our organization, ‘Socially Responsible Surgery (SRS)’, has implemented at our institution. SRS aims to reduce health disparities by increasing access to surgical care, increasing patient advocacy, integrating social determinants of health education for trainees, and emphasizing research into surgical disparities. Our patient-centered projects provide a venue for trainees, faculty, and staff to improve surgical care for the underserved.

Results: The SRS organization has been successfully integrated into the culture of the surgical department, and is recognized institution-wide. We note increased trainee interest in health equity service and research. The number of projects and publications on health equity in the surgery department has grown substantially. We believe that development of a formal organizational structure to promote social responsibility in surgery creates attention around, and encourages everyday participation in, socially responsible surgery.

Conclusions: To integrate social responsibility into surgical practice, we created SRS, a participatory and innovation driven approach. We believe that SRS could serve as a model for other institutions.