A quick surprising poll of perioperative practitioners sets the tone for a robust advocation of the responsibility of surgeons and practitioners to do surgery right; as opposed to being inclined to feeling it must be done "right now!". A data driven approach combined with a patient focused attitude are at the centre of the argument. How do these factors combine to produce a business case which all institutions, practitioners and patients can understand?

In terms of time spent, what do we mean when we say "delay"? How do we overcome a patient's attitudes towards healthcare professionals, if they feel there has already been a delay in 'getting treatment'? How can the pathways from diagnosis to recovery be shortened or made more flexible? Can a case manager help this process? Is eight weeks an acceptable waiting time, can we reasonably expect it to be less than that?

Presented by Gerrit Slooter, MD, PhD, Surgical Oncologist, Maxima Medical Centre, The Netherlands.