66% of 115 specialists polled did not refuse a difficult operation.
33% thought about how it would impact their statistics, or put more generously, thought hard about the probability of the patient surviving presumably quite serious surgery.
Yes mortality is a blunt statistic for a surgeon, but perhaps giving people pause for thought about the odds of success is no bad thing.
Contra point: would you rather not know how many cases your surgeon has done that year, and the issues they have had?
33% thought about how it would impact their statistics, or put more generously, thought hard about the probability of the patient surviving presumably quite serious surgery.
Yes mortality is a blunt statistic for a surgeon, but perhaps giving people pause for thought about the odds of success is no bad thing.
Contra point: would you rather not know how many cases your surgeon has done that year, and the issues they have had?