Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42333128›Full record

ArticleRisk management and healthcare policy2026

Minimum Procedural Volume Thresholds for Surgical Privileging: A Mixed-Methods Validation and Risk Management Framework in a Multi-Specialty Healthcare Network.

Nantana Suppapitnarm, Suthorn Bavonratanavech, Wanicha Panyakhamlerd, Pongtorn Kietdumrongwong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Risk management and healthcare policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Nantana SuppapitnarmMedical Affairs Division, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PCL, Bangkok, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0003-2015-9716
Suthorn BavonratanavechTrauma and Orthopedics Center, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PCL, Bangkok, Thailand.
Wanicha PanyakhamlerdWomen Center, Bangkok Hospital Headquarters, Bangkok, Thailand.
Pongtorn KietdumrongwongHealth Research Center, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PCL, Bangkok, Thailand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To establish evidence-based annual procedural volume thresholds and surgical pairing standards for Orthopedics and Obstetrics-Gynecology (OB-GYN), and to validate these benchmarks against clinical incident rates as a proactive risk management tool. Methods: This study utilized a sequential mixed-methods design. In Phase 1, a Delphi technique was employed with 36 senior experts from the Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) network to reach a consensus on minimum annual volumes and co-surgeon requirements. In Phase 2, a retrospective analysis of clinical incidents (Levels 4-5 and Sentinel Events) from 2022 to 2024 was performed to validate these thresholds. Statistical analysis included Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests to evaluate the association between sustained compliance with these standards and clinical incident rates. Results: Expert consensus established a recommended safety threshold of 10 cases per year for high-volume procedures (eg, cesarean delivery, anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] reconstruction), with specific thresholds of 6 cases for proximal humerus fracture and 5 cases for shoulder rotator cuff repair. Quantitative validation demonstrated that surgeons meeting these thresholds had significantly lower incident rates in cesarean delivery (p < 0.001), proximal humerus fractures (p = 0.027), and shoulder rotator cuff repair (p < 0.001). Furthermore, sustained multi-year compliance over three consecutive years was strongly correlated with lower incident rates (p < 0.001). For high-complexity, low-volume procedures, the strategy shifted from numerical frequency to system-based redundancy, requiring a mandatory co-surgeon (Median Score = 5.0 on a 5-point scale). Conclusion: Maintaining a minimum annual procedural volume serves as a core proxy for surgical competency, directly reinforcing the knowledge, skill, and attitude required for patient safety. These established thresholds and team-based safety models provide a data-driven framework for institutional clinical privileging, offering hospital administrators an objective policy tool for proactive risk management.

Indexed as

clinical privilegingdelphi techniqueobstetrics and gynecologyorthopedic surgerypatient safetyphysician competency

Identifiers

PMID42333128
PMCPMC13283398

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.