Biased Encouragements and Heterogeneous Effects in an Instrumental Variable Study of Emergency General Surgical Outcomes
急诊普外科结局工具变量研究中的偏倚鼓励与异质性效应
We investigate the efficacy of surgical versus nonsurgical management for two gastrointestinal conditions, colitis and diverticulitis, using observational data. We deploy an instrumental variable design with surgeons’ tendencies to operate as an instrument. Assuming instrument validity, we find that nonsurgical alternatives can reduce both hospital length of stay and the risk of complications, with estimated effects larger for septic patients than for nonseptic patients. The…