Getting the aorta pants in place: a 'community of guidance' in the evolving practice of vascular implant surgery

Health (London). 2011 Sep;15(5):441-58. doi: 10.1177/1363459310376300. Epub 2010 Dec 15.

Abstract

The evolving nature of surgical treatments creates gaps between evidence-based guidelines and actual clinical practice.This article addresses the emerging clinical practice of the EndoVascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR), a surgical treatment of patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). Drawing on a qualitative study across three hospitals, we identified three interplaying expertise traits: the collective, the interpersonal and the technical, each being present to promote surgical work. The evolvement of EVAR is contextualized within technical artefacts and patient characteristics, along with a joint decision approach. The intertwinement between various expertise traits and contextual factors forms a 'community of guidance', nourishing further EVAR innovation without formalized institutions, evidence, training or guidelines. However, the lack of a shared context limits the transfer of evolving knowledge across hospital boundaries.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / surgery*
  • Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / statistics & numerical data*
  • Clinical Competence
  • Decision Making
  • Diffusion of Innovation
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Norway
  • Vascular Surgical Procedures / methods*