Supervision of new surgical procedures in Japan: Current practice and supervision issues at university hospitals in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Sometimes the development of new surgical procedures takes place during patient treatment in clinical practice but can result in undesirable outcomes and social concerns. This study aims to reveal how university hospitals in Japan supervise the implementation of new surgical procedures and what difficulties they confront. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaire surveys were conducted, targeting all university-affiliated hospitals in Japan. RESULTS: It was found that most university hospitals in Japan supervised new surgical procedures internally, but they considered it difficult and burdensome to review and monitor them, both technically and practically, owing to several factors. CONCLUSION: It is advisable to set up more effective and efficient organizational collaborations and implement standard processes of supervision, in both domestic and international clinical settings.