Dear Colleagues,

Despite of impressive technological developments, every surgery is still performed by the individual surgeon on an individual patient. A considerable proportion of preventable complications or ineffective treatments results from ignorance of this obvious fact. Although the biological individuality of apparently similar diseases as well as the recognition of the “human factor” in the genesis and prevention of surgical complications are supported by evidence and generally accepted, the everyday reality often shows a picture far from safety-oriented culture: hierarchical structures within departments, sickening duty hours, mobbing, ignorance of surgeons resilience and limits, but also lacking acceptance of patient individuality, knowledge gaps or never-changing surgical routines. In this Special Issue we want to address these topics, which are outlined by (but not limited to) following questions: 

1. How can the surgeon prevent complications - and how can the surgeon be protected from complications? 
2. Surgeon as “second victim” of perioperative complications. 
3. Unexpected consequences of previously promising surgical techniques: “uterine niche” and “captive uterus” as the probable sequela of simplified cesarean section techniques. 
4. How can the oncological safety of laparoscopic approaches be improved in response to the LACC trial or morcellation debate? 
5. The role of non-technical skills and team communication in the prevention of surgical complications. 
6. Music and conversation in the operating room - friends or foes? 
7. Occupational diseases of the surgeons 
8. Mobbing in the surgical wards. 
9. Is it what it looks like? The awareness of anatomical anomalies in the gynecological surgery. 
10. Tips and tricks for complication prevention 
11. How can we prevent the patient from unnecessary surgeries? 
12. Personalized surgical strategies in the gynecologic oncology – role of molecular tumor characteristics. 
13. The trouble of being unique: The role of case reports in the practice-based evidence. 
14. Psychosomatic aspects of gynecological surgeries.

Dr. Rafał Watrowski

Guest Editor