Like any professional (or anybody for that matter), a doctor gets better with practice. So especially when surgery is indicated, consider the surgeon’s experience. Ask them. Go on. Don’t be a wuss!

There may be a website with their performance data on. You can ask them to show you that. You also need to know their complication rate. Again, ask them.

If the operation is complex yet commonplace – like a cardiac (heart) one – its a good idea to choose a surgeon who’s done hundreds of these procedures.

If the surgery is new, there will not be hundreds of satisfied customers yet. But you can try to find a surgeon who has done at least a dozen of the operations.

[Hint: Doctors aged 45-55 years are often in their prime.]