Dataset Information

Humanitarian Surgical Missions in Times of COVID-19: Recommendations to Safely Return to a Sub-Saharan Africa Low-Resource Setting.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Since the declaration of the pandemic, humanitarian medicine has been discontinued. Until now, there have been no general recommendations on how humanitarian surgical missions should be organized.

Methods

Based on our experience in the field of humanitarian surgical missions to Sub-Saharan Africa, a panel of recommendations in times of COVID-19 was developed. The fields under study were as follows: (1) Planning of a multidisciplinary project; (2) Organization of the infrastructure; (3) Screening, management and treatment of SARS-COV-2; (4) Diagnostic tests for SARS-COV-2; (5) Surgical priorization and (6) Context of patients during health-care assistance. We applied a risk bias measurement to obtain a consensus among humanitarian health-care providers with experience in this field.

Results

A total of 94.36% of agreement were reached for the approval of the recommendations. Emergency surgery must be a priority, and elective surgery adapted. For emergency surgery, we established a priority level 1a (ConclusionsHumanitarian surgical mission in times of COVID-19 is a challenge that must extrapolate the established recommendations to the local cooperation environment.

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Lopez V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7896831 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Humanitarian Surgical Missions in Times of COVID-19: Recommendations to Safely Return to a Sub-Saharan Africa Low-Resource Setting.

Lopez-Lopez Víctor V Morales Ana A García-Vazquez Elisa E González Miguel M Hernandez Quiteria Q Baroja-Mazo Alberto A Palazon Dolores D Tortosa Jose A JA Rodriguez Maria A MA Torregrosa Nuria M NM Kanyi Winnie W Ndungu J K JK Martinez José Gil JG Rodriguez José M JM

World journal of surgery 20210220 5

<h4>Background</h4>Since the declaration of the pandemic, humanitarian medicine has been discontinued. Until now, there have been no general recommendations on how humanitarian surgical missions should be organized.<h4>Methods</h4>Based on our experience in the field of humanitarian surgical missions to Sub-Saharan Africa, a panel of recommendations in times of COVID-19 was developed. The fields under study were as follows: (1) Planning of a multidisciplinary project; (2) Organization of the inf ...[more]

PMID: 33611661

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Project description:ImportanceDetermining the association of surgical setting and implementation of a new electronic health record (EHR) system with ophthalmic operative times is important for surgical planning and resource allocation.ObjectiveTo assess the associations of surgical setting and EHR system replacement with operative times for ophthalmic surgery.Design, setting, and participantsThis case series included ophthalmic surgeries from July 2015 to November 2016 in 2 ambulatory surgical centers and 1 hospital outpatient department in a single academic eye institute. Operative times from consecutive surgical cases performed by board-certified ophthalmologists were extracted from 2 EHR systems. Those performed after replacement EHR system implementation were divided into three 50-day time categories (immediate posttransition, intermediate posttransition, and late posttransition periods). Multivariable regression analyses assessed the associations of surgical setting (hospital outpatient department vs ambulatory surgical center) with total operating room times for comparable surgeons performing cataract surgery and deployment of a new EHR system in the OR on several operative time measures. Data were evaluated from November 2016 to March 2018.Main outcomes and measuresRoom duration, procedure duration, turnaround time, and total OR time.ResultsA total of 11 064 cases performed by 76 surgeons were included in this analysis. The mean total OR time was 2.9 (95% CI, 0.5-5.4; P = .02) minutes longer in the immediate posttransition period and 1.2 (95% CI, 0.1-2.2; P = .04) minutes longer in the intermediate posttransition period relative to surgeries performed before EHR system replacement. No difference in the total OR time was found between the late posttransition and pretransition periods. Relative to ambulatory surgical centers, the mean total OR time was 15.9 (95% CI, 14.7-17.0) minutes longer, and the mean turnaround time was 5.1 (95% CI, 4.3-6.0) minutes longer at the hospital outpatient department for comparable surgeons performing cataract surgery (P < .001 for both).Conclusions and relevanceThe mean total OR time per case lengthened after the replacement of an EHR system in the OR, but this increase was small (shorter than 3 minutes) and limited to surgeries performed during the first 100 days after the EHR system transition. Modeling to assess surgical setting demonstrated all operative time measures were longer for cataract cases performed at the hospital outpatient department relative to those at ambulatory surgical centers. These data have implications for the fiscal and logistical management of ophthalmic surgery.

Project description:BackgroundPoor surgical lighting represents a major patient safety issue in low-income countries. This study evaluated device performance and undertook field assessment of high-quality headlights in Ethiopia to identify critical attributes that might improve safety and encourage local use.MethodsFollowing an open call for submissions (December 2018 to January 2019), medical and technical (non-medical) headlights were identified for controlled specification testing on 14 prespecified parameters related to light quality/intensity, mounting and battery performance, including standardized illuminance measurements over time. The five highest-performing devices (differential illumination, colour rendering, spot size, mounting and battery duration) were distributed to eight Ethiopian surgeons working in resource-constrained facilities. Surgeons evaluated the devices in operating rooms, and in a comparative session rated each headlight in terms of performance and willingness to purchase.ResultsOf 25 submissions, eight headlights (6 surgical and 2 technical) met the criteria for full specification testing. Scores ranged from 8 to 12 (of 14), with differential performance in lighting, mounting and battery domains. Only two headlights met the illuminance parameters of more than 35 000 lux during initial testing, and no headlight satisfied all minimum specifications. Of the five headlights evaluated in Ethiopia, daily operation logbooks noted variability in surgeons' opinions of lighting quality (6-92 per cent) and spot size (0-92 per cent). Qualitative interviews also yielded important feedback, including preference for easy transport. Surgeons sought high quality with price sensitivity (using out-of-pocket funds) and identified the least expensive but high-functioning device as their first choice.ConclusionNo device satisfied all the predetermined specifications, and large price discrepancies were critical factors leading surgeons' choices. The favoured device is undergoing modification by the manufacturer based on design feedback so an affordable, high-quality surgical headlight crafted specifically for the needs of resource-constrained settings can be used to improve surgical safety.

Project description:PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the rate of hospital admissions, inpatient conversions, reoperations, and complications associated with tibial tubercle osteotomies (TTO), high tibial osteotomies (HTO), and distal femoral osteotomies (DFO) performed at our ambulatory surgery center compared with our inpatient hospital facility.MethodsA retrospective review of patients receiving a TTO, HTO or DFO at our institution between June 2011 and October 2019 was performed. Inclusion criteria consisted of patients undergoing the aforementioned procedures for malalignment, and a minimum of 90-days follow-up. Revision osteotomies, those undergoing an osteotomy for an acute fracture, and those with rule-out criteria for outpatient surgery (ASA > 3, and body mass index >40) were excluded. Complications, including readmission and reoperation, were compared between the two groups using either the Fisher's exact test and independent samples t-test, where applicable, and a P value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.ResultsThe study included 531 patients undergoing osteotomies (222 ambulatory surgical center [ASC] and 309 hospital) with no patients lost to follow-up in the 90-day postoperative period. No patients operated on at an ASC required transfer to inpatient setting. There were no differences in complication rates, readmission, or reoperation rates among the two groups (4.1% vs 4.9%; P = .8328; 3.1% vs 4.5%, P = .5026; 3.1% vs 4.5%; P = .5026; respectively). Complications, including surgical site infection and arthrofibrosis were not significantly different in the two cohorts, (1.4% vs. 2.6%, P = .341 and 1.4% vs 1%; P = .698, respectively).ConclusionsOsteotomies about the knee performed in an ambulatory setting were safe, with no difference in readmission, reoperation, or postoperative complications compared to those performed at an inpatient hospital. Additionally, no patient required conversion from an outpatient to an inpatient setting.Level of evidenceLevel III, retrospective comparative study.

Dataset Information

Humanitarian Surgical Missions in Times of COVID-19: Recommendations to Safely Return to a Sub-Saharan Africa Low-Resource Setting.

Background

Methods

Results

Publications

Humanitarian Surgical Missions in Times of COVID-19: Recommendations to Safely Return to a Sub-Saharan Africa Low-Resource Setting.

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