Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Essential surgery at the district hospital: A retrospective descriptive analysis in three african countries
PLoS Medicine, Volume 7, No. 3, Year 2010
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Background Surgical conditions contribute significantly to the disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet there is an apparent neglect of surgical care as a public health intervention to counter this burden. There is increasing enthusiasm to reverse this trend, by promoting essential surgical services at the district hospital, the first point of contact for critical conditions for rural populations. This study investigated the scope of surgery conducted at district hospitals in three sub-Saharan African countries. Methods and Findings In a retrospective descriptive study, field data were collected from eight district hospitals in Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique using a standardized form and interviews with key informants. Overall, the scope of surgical procedures performed was narrow and included mainly essential and life-saving emergency procedures. Surgical output varied across hospitals from five to 45 major procedures/10,000 people. Obstetric operations were most common and included cesarean sections and uterine evacuations. Hernia repair and wound care accounted for 65% of general surgical procedures. The number of beds in the studied hospitals ranged from 0.2 to 1.0 per 1,000 population. Conclusion The findings of this study clearly indicate low levels of surgical care provision at the district level for the hospitals studied. The extent to which this translates into unmet need remains unknown although the very low proportions of live births in the catchment areas of these eight hospitals that are born by cesarean section suggest that there is a substantial unmet need for surgical services. The district hospital in the current health system in sub-Saharan Africa lends itself to feasible integration of essential surgery into the spectrum of comprehensive primary care services. It is therefore critical that the surgical capacity of the district hospital is significantly expanded; this will result in sustainable preventable morbidity and mortality. © 2010 Galukande et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC2834708/bin/pmed.1000243.s001.tif
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC2834708/bin/pmed.1000243.s002.doc
Authors & Co-Authors
Galukande, Moses
Uganda, Kampala
Makerere University
von Schreeb, Johan
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Institutet
Wladis, Andreas
Sweden, Stockholm
Södersjukhuset
Mbembati, Naboth A.A.
Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
de Miranda, Helder
Mozambique, Beira
Catholic University of Mozambique
Kruk, Margaret Elizabeth
United States, Ann Arbor
University of Michigan School of Public Health
Luboga, Samuel Abilemech
Uganda, Kampala
Makerere University
Matovu, Alphonsus
Uganda
Kamuli Mission Hospital
McCord, Colin W.
United States, New York
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Ndao-Brumblay, S. Khady
United States, Ann Arbor
University of Michigan School of Public Health
Ozgediz, Doruk Erman
Canada, Toronto
Hospital for Sick Children University of Toronto
Rockers, Peter C.
United States, Ann Arbor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Quiñones, Ana Romàn
United States, Ann Arbor
University of Michigan School of Public Health
Vaz, Fernando
Mozambique, Maputo
Higher Institute of Health Sciences
Debas, Haile T.
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
MacFarlane, Sarah B.J.
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
Statistics
Citations: 148
Authors: 16
Affiliations: 12
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pmed.1000243
ISSN:
15491277
e-ISSN:
15491676
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Maternal And Child Health
Violence And Injury
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Locations
Mozambique
Tanzania
Uganda