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- Davies, J. I., et al.
(author)
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Global surgery, obstetric, and anaesthesia indicator definitions and reporting: An Utstein consensus report
- 2021
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In: Plos Medicine. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1549-1277 .- 1549-1676. ; 18:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Indicators to evaluate progress towards timely access to safe surgical, anaesthesia, and obstetric (SAO) care were proposed in 2015 by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery. These aimed to capture access to surgery, surgical workforce, surgical volume, perioperative mortality rate, and catastrophic and impoverishing financial consequences of surgery. Despite being rapidly taken up by practitioners, data points from which to derive the indicators were not defined, limiting comparability across time or settings. We convened global experts to evaluate and explicitly define-for the first time-the indicators to improve comparability and support achievement of 2030 goals to improve access to safe affordable surgical and anaesthesia care globally. Methods and findings The Utstein process for developing and reporting guidelines through a consensus building process was followed. In-person discussions at a 2-day meeting were followed by an iterative process conducted by email and virtual group meetings until consensus was reached. The meeting was held between June 16 to 18, 2019; discussions continued until August 2020. Participants consisted of experts in surgery, anaesthesia, and obstetric care, data science, and health indicators from high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Considering each of the 6 indicators in turn, we refined overarching descriptions and agreed upon data points needed for construction of each indicator at current time (basic data points), and as each evolves over 2 to 5 (intermediate) and >5 year (full) time frames. We removed one of the original 6 indicators (one of 2 financial risk protection indicators was eliminated) and refined descriptions and defined data points required to construct the 5 remaining indicators: geospatial access, workforce, surgical volume, perioperative mortality, and catastrophic expenditure. A strength of the process was the number of people from global institutes and multilateral agencies involved in the collection and reporting of global health metrics; a limitation was the limited number of participants from low- or middle-income countries-who only made up 21% of the total attendees. Conclusions To track global progress towards timely access to quality SAO care, these indicators-at the basic level-should be implemented universally as soon as possible. Intermediate and full indicator sets should be achieved by all countries over time. Meanwhile, these evolutions can assist in the short term in developing national surgical plans and collecting more detailed data for research studies.
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- Holmer, H., et al.
(author)
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Evaluating the collection, comparability and findings of six global surgery indicators
- 2019
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In: British Journal of Surgery. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0007-1323 .- 1365-2168. ; 106:2, s. 138-150
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: In 2015, six indicators were proposed to evaluate global progress towards access to safe, affordable and timely surgical and anaesthesia care. Although some have been adopted as core global health indicators, none has been evaluated systematically. The aims of this study were to assess the availability, comparability and utility of the indicators, and to present available data and updated estimates. Methods: Nationally representative data were compiled for all WHO member states from 2010 to 2016 through contacts with official bodies and review of the published and grey literature, and available databases. Availability, comparability and utility were assessed for each indicator: access to timely essential surgery, specialist surgical workforce density, surgical volume, perioperative mortality, and protection against impoverishing and catastrophic expenditure. Where feasible, imputation models were developed to generate global estimates. Results: Of all WHO member states, 19 had data on the proportion of the population within 2h of a surgical facility, 154 had data on workforce density, 72 reported number of procedures, and nine had perioperative mortality data, but none could report data on catastrophic or impoverishing expenditure. Comparability and utility were variable, and largely dependent on different definitions used. There were sufficient data to estimate that worldwide, in 2015, there were 2 038 947 (i.q.r. 1 884 916–2 281 776) surgeons, obstetricians and anaesthetists, and 266·1 (95 per cent c.i. 220·1 to 344·4) million operations performed. Conclusion: Surgical and anaesthesia indicators are increasingly being adopted by the global health community, but data availability remains low. Comparability and utility for all indicators require further resolution.
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- Edem, Idara J., et al.
(author)
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External injuries, trauma and avoidable deaths in Agincourt, South Africa : a retrospective observational and qualitative study
- 2019
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In: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 9:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Injury burden is highest in low-income and middle-income countries. To reduce avoidable deaths, it is necessary to identify health system deficiencies preventing timely, quality care. We developed criteria to use verbal autopsy (VA) data to identify avoidable deaths and associated health system deficiencies.Setting: Agincourt, a rural Bushbuckridge municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.Participants: Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System and healthcare providers (HCPs) from local hospitals.Methods: A literature review to explore definitions of avoidable deaths after trauma and barriers to access to care using the ‘three delays framework’ (seeking, reaching and receiving care) was performed. Based on these definitions, this study developed criteria, applicable for use with VA data, for identifying avoidable death and which of the three delays contributed to avoidable deaths. These criteria were then applied retrospectively to the VA-defined category external injury deaths (EIDs—a subset of which are trauma deaths) from 2012 to 2015. The findings were validated by external expert review. Key informant interviews (KIIs) with HCPs were performed to further explore delays to care.Results: Using VA data, avoidable death was defined with a focus on survivability, using level of consciousness at the scene and ability to seek care as indicators. Of 260 EIDs (189 trauma deaths), there were 104 (40%) avoidable EIDs and 78 (30%) avoidable trauma deaths (41% of trauma deaths). Delay in receiving care was the largest contributor to avoidable EIDs (61%) and trauma deaths (59%), followed by delay in seeking care (24% and 23%) and in reaching care (15% and 18%). KIIs revealed context-specific factors contributing to the third delay, including difficult referral systems.Conclusions: A substantial proportion of EIDs and trauma deaths were avoidable, mainly occurring due to facility-based delays in care. Interventions, including strengthening referral networks, may substantially reduce trauma deaths.
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- van Duinen, Alex J., et al.
(author)
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Perinatal outcomes of cesarean deliveries in Sierra Leone : A prospective multicenter observational study
- 2020
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In: International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. - : Wiley. - 0020-7292 .- 1879-3479. ; 150:2, s. 213-221
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To analyze the indications for cesarean deliveries and factors associated with adverse perinatal outcomes in Sierra Leone. Methods: Between October 2016 and May 2017, patients undergoing cesarean delivery performed by medical doctors and associate clinicians in nine hospitals were included in a prospective observational study. Data were collected perioperatively, at discharge, and during home visits after 30 days. Results: In total, 1274 cesarean deliveries were included of which 1099 (86.3%) were performed as emergency surgery. Of the 1376 babies, 261 (19.0%) were perinatal deaths (53 antepartum stillbirths, 155 intrapartum stillbirths, and 53 early neonatal deaths). Indications with the highest perinatal mortality were uterine rupture (45 of 55 [81.8%]), abruptio placentae (61 of 85 [71.8%]), and antepartum hemorrhage (8 of 15 [53.3%]). In the group with cesarean deliveries performed for obstructed and prolonged labor, a partograph was filled out for 212 of 425 (49.9%). However, when completed, babies had 1.81-fold reduced odds for perinatal death (95% confidence interval 1.03–3.18, P-value 0.041). Conclusion: Cesarean deliveries in Sierra Leone are associated with an exceptionally high perinatal mortality rate of 190 per 1000 births. Late presentation in the facilities and lack of adequate fetal monitoring may be contributing factors.
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- Dare, Anna J., et al.
(author)
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Prioritizing Surgical Care on National Health Agendas : A Qualitative Case Study of Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Sierra Leone
- 2016
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In: PLoS Medicine. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1549-1277 .- 1549-1676. ; 13:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Little is known about the social and political factors that influence priority setting for different health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet these factors are integral to understanding how national health agendas are established. We investigated factors that facilitate or prevent surgical care from being prioritized in LMICs. Methods and Findings: We undertook country case studies in Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, using a qualitative process-tracing method. We conducted 74 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in health agenda setting and surgical care in these countries. Interviews were triangulated with published academic literature, country reports, national health plans, and policies. Data were analyzed using a conceptual framework based on four components (actor power, ideas, political contexts, issue characteristics) to assess national factors influencing priority for surgery. Political priority for surgical care in the three countries varies. Priority was highest in Papua New Guinea, where surgical care is firmly embedded within national health plans and receives significant domestic and international resources, and much lower in Uganda and Sierra Leone. Factors influencing whether surgical care was prioritized were the degree of sustained and effective domestic advocacy by the local surgical community, the national political and economic environment in which health policy setting occurs, and the influence of international actors, particularly donors, on national agenda setting. The results from Papua New Guinea show that a strong surgical community can generate priority from the ground up, even where other factors are unfavorable. Conclusions: National health agenda setting is a complex social and political process. To embed surgical care within national health policy, sustained advocacy efforts, effective framing of the problem and solutions, and country-specific data are required. Political, technical, and financial support from regional and international partners is also important.
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