Skip to content
AFTER CERTAINTY

article

Measuring Surgical Outcomes for Improvement: Was Codman Wrong?

Berwick, Donald M. "Measuring Surgical Outcomes for Improvement: Was Codman Wrong?" JAMA 313, no. 5 (2015): 469-470.

Why this matters here

Berwick argues surgical outcome measurement improves care only when it reconnects to local operational change. Coupling applies the same structural test beyond software: metrics without redesign authority become compliance theater while outcomes stagnate.