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An Announcement from the Executive Director of the The American College of Surgeons is very pleased to introduce a new service for its members and other constituents: The Surgical Index (TSI), an online monthly review of the best of the current surgical literature. At a time when there are so many challenges facing practicing surgeons, it is increasingly difficult to stay current with the existing surgical literature, both scientific and socioeconomic. TSI Online will distill the best of the monthly surgical literature in abstract form and will provide editorial commentary, thus bringing meaningful content in general surgery to busy practicing surgeons. Ultimately, we hope to expand the content to include other surgical specialties as well as articles on socioeconomic issues to keep surgeons abreast of what is happening on the political scene. As we enter a new era of professional development and maintenance of certification through lifelong learning, I believe this review of the primary journals will become increasingly important in connecting surgeons with advances in the current literature. From its origins as a print publication through its current online manifestation at the College, TSI continues to provide surgeons with valuable assistance in all of their daily activities, from patient care, to teaching rounds, to participating in conferences, to preparing for certification exams. Clearly, one of the major challenges for the American College of Surgeons is providing good, relevant, contemporary content that can be delivered in an easily obtainable fashion. We are currently using our Web site (www.facs.org) for this purpose. In the future, we plan to use a Web portal that is being developed for our members, which will allow us to push to our Fellows information they will need to practice state-of-the art, evidence-based surgery. And that is why I believe TSI will be so important. TSI is all about content that has been carefully selected for its value and presented in a way that allows for ease of access. It makes it possible for surgeons to practice with confidence and is an ideal tool for quality improvement. I speak from personal experience because I used TSI for many years when I was in practice. In the commentary that accompanies this announcement is a precise description of the origins, development, and content of the ACS Surgical Index. Sincerely, Thomas R. Russell, MD, FACS
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