Paradigm Shifts in Surgery: Implications for Surgical Practice, Education, and Professional Identity

IntroductionScientific and clinical disciplines evolve not only through incremental discoveries but also through fundamental shifts in how clinical problems are conceptualized and addressed.Thomas Kuhn's model of scientific revolutions, in which accumulating anomalies undermine a prevailing framework and give rise to a new paradigm, offers a useful lens through which to understand such transformations [1].In surgery, where clinical decisions carry immediate and often irreversible consequences, paradigm shifts profoundly shape operative strategy, professional identity, and definitions of success.They also influence how surgeons are trained, how competence is defined, and how responsibility is shared within increasingly complex systems of care.Understanding prior paradigm shifts is therefore essential for preparing surgeons and trainees for future practice.Here we examine selected paradigm shifts in surgical history and consider emerging forces that may catalyze the next conceptual evolution in surgical care.