Your Ideal Surgeon?

Does It Matter If Your Neurosurgeon Is A Jerk? onforb.es/QZPeS4 The point of the WHO briefing is to ensure no-one acts like a jerk
— Norman Briffa MD(@Chestcracker) September 10, 2012

I recently tweeted about an article that I read in Forbes journal on whether the character of an operating surgeon matters to patients.

The author was reviewing Atul Gawande's excellent book entitled 'Complications - A surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect science'.  In this book Atul demonstrates convincingly a mechanistic link between prattish (for my non British readers  - a Prat is accurately defined her!) behaviour in a surgeon and poor outcomes.
What a patient really wants to know is whether their surgeon is technically gifted. Surely technical ability in a surgeon MUST be associated with improved outcomes and fewer complications - mustn't it ?
Well this paper proves the ago old assumption IS right - in Paediatric Heart surgery at least !
In orthopaedics however !!!!! - bone carpentry/surgery and technical prowess just do not seem to be the comfortable bed partners in the same sentence!!!
Now where's my Hard Hat and flack jacket?  That's OK, orthopods can't read  emm sorry I meant don't read blogs!