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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Nationally representative household survey of surgery and mortality in Sierra Leone
World Journal of Surgery, Volume 37, No. 8, Year 2013
Notification
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Description
Background: There is limited evidence to characterize the burden of unmet need of surgical diseases in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to determine rate of deaths attributable to a surgical condition and reasons for not seeking surgical care in Sierra Leone. Methods: The Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) is a survey tool developed collaboratively to be used for cross-sectional data collection of the prevalence of surgical conditions in any country. A population-weighted cluster-sample household survey was conducted throughout Sierra Leone in 2012 using the SOSAS survey tool. Results: Total of 1,840 households (11,870 individuals) were sampled, yielding a 98.3 % response rate. Overall, there were 709 total deaths reported (6.0 %). The mean age at death was 36.4 ± 30.1 years: 330 (46.6 %) were female. Most deaths occurred at home (58.1 % vs. 34.1 % in hospitals). Of the 709 deaths, 237 (33.4 %) were associated with conditions included in our predefined surgical disease category. Abdominal distension/pain was the most commonly associated surgical condition (13.9 %) followed by perinatal bleeding/illness (6.0 %). Among the 237 with surgical conditions, 51 (21.9 %) did not seek medical care, most commonly because of a lack of money (35.3 %) or inability to provide timely care (37.3 %). Conclusions: A large proportion of deaths in Sierra Leone was associated with surgical conditions, the majority of which did not undergo surgical intervention. Our results indicate that to remove barriers to effective surgical care in Sierra Leone policymakers should first focus on relieving financial burdens and increasing access to timely surgical care. © 2013 Société Internationale de Chirurgie.
Authors & Co-Authors
Kwon, Steve
United States, Seattle
University of Washington
Groen, Reinou Sybrecht
United States, New York
Surgeons Overseas Sos
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Royal Tropical Institute - Kit
Kamara, Thaim Buya
Sierra Leone, Freetown
Connaught Hospital
Cassidy, Laura Dawn
United States, Milwaukee
Medical College of Wisconsin
Samai, Mohamed M.
Sierra Leone
College of Medicine and Allied Health Science Comahs
Yambasu, Sahr E.
Unknown Affiliation
Kushner, Adam L.
United States, New York
Surgeons Overseas Sos
United States, New York
Columbia University
Statistics
Citations: 27
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 7
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/s00268-013-2035-4
ISSN:
03642313
e-ISSN:
14322323
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Cross Sectional Study
Grounded Theory
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Sierra Leone
Participants Gender
Female