Pediatric Surgical Waitlist in LMICs during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Date
2022Author
Klazura, Greg
Park, Paul
Yap, Ava
Laverde, Ruth
Bryce, Emma
Cheung, Maija
Bioh, Ernestina
Hamilton, Sacha
Kisa, Phyllis
Kakembo, Nasser
Ugazzi, Michele
Situma, Martin
Borgstein, Eric
Derbew, Miliard
Negash, Samuel
Tadesse, Amezene
Bvulani, Bruce
Ki, Bertille
Toussaint, Tapsoba
Bokhary, Zaitun
Godfrey Sama, Godfrey
Ameh, Emmanuel
Mulewa, Mulenga
Mwansa, Jonathan
Onah, Ifeanyichukwu
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Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose: COVID-19 led to significant reduction in surgery worldwide. Studies, however, of the effect on surgical volume for pediatric patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited.
Methods: A survey was developed to estimate waitlists in LMICs for priority surgical conditions in children. The survey was piloted and revised before it was deployed over email to 19 surgeons. Pediatric surgeons at 15 different sites in 8 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ecuador completed the survey from February 2021 to June 2021. The survey included the total number of children awaiting surgery and estimates for specific conditions. Respondents were also able to add additional procedures.
Results: Public hospitals had longer wait times than private facilities. The median waitlist was 90 patients and the median wait time was 2 months for elective surgeries.
Conclusion: Lengthy surgical wait times affect surgical access in LMICs. COVID-19 had been associated with surgical delays around the world, exacerbating existing surgical backlogs. Our results revealed significant delays for elective, urgent and emergent cases across Sub-Saharan Africa. Stakeholders should consider approaches to scale the limited surgical and perioperative resources in LMICs, create mitigation strategies for future pandemics, and establish ways to monitor waitlists on an ongoing basis
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