Surgical outcomes auditing systems in humanitarian organizations

Rates, Barriers, and Facilitators of Outcome Collection on Hand Surgery Outreach to Low- and Middle-Income Countries

BACKGROUND

Global outreach to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continues to grow in an effort to improve global health. The practice of quality measurement is empirically lacking from surgical outreach trips to LMICs, which may limit the safety and quality of care provided. Using convergent mixed-methods, we aimed to: (1) identify and evaluate barriers and facilitators to outcome measure collection; and (2) report the sample rate of such collection on hand surgery outreach trips to LMICs.

METHODS

Surgeons and administrators involved in hand surgery outreach trips completed a survey regarding rates of outcome measure collection and a semi-structured interview to explore barriers and facilitators of outcome collection. Survey data were reported descriptively. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and excerpts were categorized according to the Pettigrew framework for strategic change (content, process, and context). Results were combined through convergent mixed-methods analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-three participants completed the survey, and 21 participated in interviews. Rates of collection were the most common for total case number (83%) and patient mortality (65%). Longitudinal outcomes (eg, patient follow-up or time away from work) were less frequently recorded (9% and 4%, respectively). Content analysis revealed barriers related to each domain of the Pettigrew framework.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis demonstrates low levels of outcome collection on outreach trips and identifies priority areas for improvement. Developing context-specific solutions aimed at addressing barriers (eg, resource/database availability) and promoting facilitators (eg, collaborative relationships) may encourage higher rates of collection, which stands to improve patient safety, quality of care, and accountability when conducting outreach trips to LMICs.

Economic Evaluation of a Global Reconstructive Surgery Visiting Educator Program

Objective

The objective of this study was to quantify the cost-effectiveness and economic value of a reconstructive surgery visiting educator trip program in a resource-constrained setting.

Background

Reconstructive surgical capacity remains inadequate in low- and middle-income countries, resulting in chronic disability and a significant economic toll. Education and training of the local surgical workforce to sustainably expand capacity have been increasingly encouraged, but economic analyses of these interventions are lacking.

Methods

Data were analyzed from 12 visiting educator trips and independently-performed surgical procedures at 3 Vietnamese hospitals between 2014 and 2019. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using standardized methodology and thresholds to determine cost-effectiveness. Sensitivity analyses were performed with disability weights, discounting, and costs from different perspectives. Economic benefit was estimated using both the human capital method and the value of a statistical life method, and a benefit-cost ratio was computed.

Results

In the base case analysis, the visiting educator program was very cost-effective at $581 per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. Economic benefit was between $21·6 million and $29·3 million, corresponding to a 12- to 16-fold return on investment. Furthermore, when considering only costs to the organization, the cost decreased to $61 per DALY averted, with a 113- to 153-fold return on investment for the organization.

Conclusions

Visiting educator programs, which build local reconstructive surgical capacity in limited-resource environments, can be very cost-effective with significant economic benefit and return on investment. These findings may help guide organizations, donors, and policymakers in resource allocation in global surgery.

Disseminating surgical experience for sustainable benefits - the Urolink experience

The dissemination of urological knowledge, and consequent surgical expertise, is entirely dependent on the availability of individuals to provide education and the mechanism by which that knowledge is spread. In low, or low-middle, income countries the numbers of specialist surgeons, especially urologists, is extremely limited and the time they have to train aspiring urologists is, therefore, restricted as a consequence of the demand for clinical help. Urologists from high-income countries, being more prevalent, can assist with the education, but are limited by the needs of their own careers and the time they have available to educate in a resource poor setting. Bringing surgeons from a low to a high income environment for training is one option to overcome this trainer/trainee imbalance, but is relatively expensive, bureaucratic, and has inherent risks of the individual being lost from their domestic workforce. Short-term medical trips to educate larger numbers of individuals in their home setting is one of a number of different options that has been used to bridge this gap. It has, however, been suggested that such a model is not the most efficient way of perpetuating knowledge and skills in a low-income environment. Urolink has found, however, that when short term trips are used to support a longitudinal commitment to a centre they can be remarkable effective. By helping the expansion of personnel to a critical mass in designated regional hubs, linked to credible local or regional academic institutions, it has been possible to develop sustainable centres that can disseminate training across a wide geographical area. Such a co-operative approach has been used between Urolink and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi, Tanzania, a model that has initiated the evolution of other regional training hubs across east Africa over the last three decades.

Quality Assurance Standards for Outreach Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Repair Programs in Low-Resource Settings

BACKGROUND

Comprehensive cleft care is a multidisciplinary team endeavor. While untreated craniofacial conditions have multiple undue repercussions, cleft care in outreach settings can be fraught with significant perioperative morbidity risks.

AIM

Propose updated quality assurance standards addressing logistic and operational considerations essential for the delivery of safe and effective cleft lip and /or palate (CL/P) care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) settings.

METHODS

Based on American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) quality standards, published literature, published protocols by Global Smile Foundation (GSF), and the senior author's three-decade experience, updated standards for outreach cleft care were synthesized.

RESULTS

Ten axes for safe, effective, and sustainable cleft lip and palate care delivery in underserved settings were generated: 1) site assessment, 2) establishment of community partnerships, 3) team composition and credentialing, 4) team training and mission preparation, 5) implementation of quality assurance guidelines, operative safety checklists, and emergency response protocols, 6) immediate and long-term postoperative care, 7) medical record keeping, 8) outcomes evaluation, 9) education, and 10) capacity building and sustainability. Subsequent analysis further characterized essential components of each of those ten axes to delineate experience derived and evidence-based recommendations.

DISCUSSION

Quality assurance guidelines are essential for the safe delivery of comprehensive cleft care to patients with CL/P in any setting. Properly designed surgical outreach programs relying on honest community partnerships can be effectively used as vehicles for local capacity building and the establishment of sustainable cleft care ecosystems.

Outcomes at 18 mo of 37 noma (cancrum oris) cases surgically treated at the Noma Children's Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Background

Noma is a rapidly progressing infection of the oral cavity frequently resulting in severe facial disfigurement. We present a case series of noma patients surgically treated in northwest Nigeria.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of routinely collected data (demographics, diagnosis and surgical procedures undergone) and in-person follow-up assessments (anthropometry, mouth opening and quality of life measurements) were conducted with patients who had surgery >6 mo prior to data collection.

Results

Of the 37 patients included, 21 (56.8%) were male and 22 (62.9%) were aged >6 y. The median number of months between last surgery and follow-up was 18 (IQR 13, 25) mo. At admission, the most severely affected anatomical area was the outer cheek (n = 9; 36.0% of patients had lost between 26% and 50%). The most frequent surgical procedures were the deltopectoral flap (n = 16; 43.2%) and trismus release (n = 12; 32.4%). For the eight trismus-release patients where mouth opening was documented at admission, all had a mouth opening of 0–20 mm at follow-up. All patients reported that the surgery had improved their quality of life.

Conclusions

Following their last surgical intervention, noma patients do experience some improvements in their quality of life, but debilitating long-term sequelae persist.

Developing a Sustainable Program for Volunteer Surgical Care in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries

Volunteer medical missions to low-income and middle-income countries have been a popular but unregulated method of providing care to underserved regions of the world as they work to improve surgical capacity. This article addresses various organizational tenets, such as forming a mission statement, selecting a site location, determining funding sources, establishing a team, patient safety, organization, and postoperative care and follow-up.

A Model for Sustained Collaboration to Address the Unmet Global Burden of Bladder Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex and Penopubic Epispadias: The International Bladder Exstrophy Consortium

Importance

International collaboration to alleviate the massive burden of surgical disease is recognized by World Health Organization as an urgent need, yet the surgical mission model to treat reconstructive surgical challenges is often constrained in ensuring adequate patient follow-up, optimal outcomes, and sustainability.

Objective

To determine whether a collaboration predicated on long-term commitment by surgeons returning to the same institution annually combined with an experienced host surgical team and infrastructure to ensure sustained patient follow-up could provide surgical care with acceptable outcomes to treat bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex (BE) and penopubic epispadias (PE).

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this prospective, observational study, long-term collaboration was created and based at a public hospital in Ahmedabad, India, between January 2009 and January 2015. The entire postoperative cohort was recalled in January 2016 for comprehensive examination, measurement of continence outcomes, and assessment of surgical complications. Seventy-six percent of patients (n = 57) who underwent complete primary repair of exstrophy during the study interval returned for annual follow-up in 2016 and formed the study cohort: 23 patients with primary BE, 19 patients with redo BE, and 11 patients with PE repair.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Demographics, operative techniques, and perioperative complications were recorded. A postoperative protocol outlining procedures to ensure monitoring of study participants was followed including removal of ureteral stents, urethral catheter, external fixators, imaging, and patient discharge.

Results

Of the 57 patients, 4 were excluded because they underwent ureterosigmoidostomy. Median age at time of surgery was 3 years (primary BE), 7 years (redo BE), and 10 years (PE), with median follow-up of 3 years, 5 years and 3 years, respectively; boys made up more than 70% of each cohort (n = 17 for primary BE, n = 15 for redo BE, and n = 9 for PE). All BE and 3 PE repairs (27%) were completed with concurrent anterior pubic osteotomies. Seventeen of 53 patients (32%) experienced complications. Only 1 patient with BE (4%) had a bladder dehiscence and was repaired the following year.

Conclusions and Relevance

A unique surgical mission model consisting of an international collaborative focused on treating the complex diagnoses of BE and PE offers outcomes comparable with those in high-income countries, demonstrating a significant patient retention rate and an opportunity to rigorously study outcomes over an accelerated interval owing to the high burden of disease in India. Postoperative care following a systematized algorithm and rigorous follow-up is mandatory to ensure safety and optimal outcomes.

Craniofacial Interventions in Children

Craniofacial interventions are common and the surgical options continue to grow. The issues encountered include micrognathia, macroglossia, midface hypoplasia, hearing loss, facial nerve palsy, hemifacial microsomia, and microtia. In addition, a unifying theme is complex upper airway obstruction. Throughout a child's life the focus of interventions may change from airway management to speech, hearing, and language optimization, and finally to decannulation and procedures aimed at social integration and self-esteem. Otolaryngologists play an important role is this arena and provide high-quality care while continuing to expand what can be done for our patients.

Impact of short-term reconstructive surgical missions: a systematic review

Introduction

Short-term missions providing patients in low-income countries with reconstructive surgery are often criticised because evidence of their value is lacking. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of short-term reconstructive surgical missions in low-income and middle-income countries.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched five medical databases from inception up to 2 July 2018. Original studies of short-term reconstructive surgical missions were included, which reported data on patient safety measurements, health gains of individual patients and sustainability. Data were combined to generate overall outcomes, including overall complication rates.

Results

Of 1662 identified studies, 41 met full inclusion criteria, which included 48 546 patients. The overall study quality according to Oxford CEBM and GRADE was low. Ten studies reported a minimum of 6 months’ follow-up, showing a follow-up rate of 56.0% and a complication rate of 22.3%. Twelve studies that did not report on duration or follow-up rate reported a complication rate of 1.2%. Fifteen out of 20 studies (75%) that reported on follow-up also reported on sustainable characteristics.

Conclusions

Evidence on the patient outcomes of reconstructive surgical missions is scarce and of limited quality. Higher complication rates were reported in studies which explicitly mentioned the duration and rate of follow-up. Studies with a low follow-up quality might be under-reporting complication rates and overestimating the positive impact of missions. This review indicates that missions should develop towards sustainable partnerships. These partnerships should provide quality aftercare, perform outcome research and build the surgical capacity of local healthcare systems.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018099285.

Sustainability of using the WHO surgical safety checklist: a mixed-methods longitudinal evaluation following a nationwide blended educational implementation strategy in Madagascar

Background

The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist reduces postoperative complications by up to 50% with the biggest gains in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). However in LMICs, checklist use is sporadic and widespread implementation has hitherto been unsuccessful. In 2015/2016, we partnered with the Madagascar Ministry of Health to undertake nationwide implementation of the checklist. We report a longitudinal evaluation of checklist use at 12-18 months postimplementation.

Methods

Hospitals were identified from the original cohort using purposive sampling. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design, the primary outcome was self-reported checklist use. Secondary outcomes included use of basic safety processes, assessment of team behaviour, predictors of checklist use, impact on individuals and organisational culture and identification of barriers. Data were collected during 1-day hospital visits using validated questionnaires, WHO Behaviourally Adjusted Rating Scale (WHOBARS) assessment tool and focus groups and analysed using descriptive statistics, multivariate linear regression and thematic analysis.

Results

175 individuals from 14 hospitals participated. 74% reported sustained checklist use after 15 months. Mean WHOBARS scores were high, indicating good team engagement. Sustained checklist use was associated with an improved overall understanding of patient safety but not with WHOBARS, hospital size or surgical volume. 87% reported improved understanding of patient safety and 83% increased job satisfaction. Thematic analysis identified improvements in hospital culture (teamwork and communication, preparation and organisation, trust and confidence) and hospital practice (pulse oximetry, timing of antibiotic prophylaxis, introduction of a surgical count). Lack of time in an emergency and obstructive leadership were the greatest implementation barriers.

Conclusion

74% of participants reported sustained checklist use 12-18 months following nationwide implementation in Madagascar, with associated improvements in job satisfaction, culture and compliance with safety procedures. Further work is required to examine this implementation model in other countries.

Clinical Outcome, Social Impact and Patient Expectation: a Purposive Sampling Pilot Evaluation of Patients in Benin Seven Years After Surgery

BACKGROUND

Access to affordable and timely surgery is not equitable around the world. Five billion people lack access, and while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) help to meet this need, long-term surgical outcomes, social impact or patient experience is rarely reported.

METHOD

In 2016, Mercy Ships, a surgical NGO, undertook an evaluation of patients who had received surgery seven years earlier with Mercy Ships in 2009 in Benin. Using purposive sampling, patients who had received maxillofacial, plastics or orthopedic surgery were invited to attend a surgical evaluation day. In this pilot study, we used semi-structured interviews and questionnaire responses to assess patient expectation, surgical and social outcome.

RESULTS

Our results show that seven years after surgery 35% of patients report surgery-related pain and 18% had sought further care for a clinical complication of their condition. However, 73% of patients report gaining social benefit from surgery, and overall patient satisfaction was 89%, despite 35% of patients saying that they were unclear what to expect after surgery indicating a mismatch of doctor/patient expectations and failure of the consent process.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our pilot study shows that NGO surgery in Benin provided positive social impact associated with complication rates comparable to high-income countries when assessed seven years later. Key areas for further study in LMICs are: evaluation and treatment of chronic pain, consent and access to further care.

Efficacy of Facilitated Capacity Building in Providing Cleft Lip and Palate Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Providing surgical repair for congenital anomalies such as cleft lip and palate (CLP) can be challenging in low- and middle-income countries. One nonprofit organization seeks to address this need through a partnership model. This model provides long-term aid on multiple levels: surgeon and healthcare provider education, community outreach, and funding. The authors examined the effectiveness of this partnership model in providing CLP care and increasing cleft care capacity over time. This organization maintains data on each partner and procedure and collected data on hospital and patient characteristics through voluntary partner surveys from 2010 to 2014. Effectiveness of care provision outcomes included number of surgeries/partner hospital and patient demographics. Cleft surgical system strengthening was measured by the complexity of repair, waitlist length, and patient follow-up. From 2001 to 2014, the number of procedures/hospital/year grew from 15 to 109, and frequency of alveolar bone grafts increased from 1% to 3.4%. In addition, 97.9% of partners reported that half to most patients come from rural areas. Waitlists decreased, with 9.2% of partners reporting a waitlist of ≥50 in 2011 versus 2.7% in 2014 (P < 0.001). Patient follow-up also improved: 35% of partners in 2011 estimated a follow-up rate of ≥75%, compared with 51% of partners in 2014 (P < 0.001). The increased number of procedures/hospital/year supports the partnership model's effectiveness in providing CLP care. In addition, data supports cleft surgical system strengthening-more repairs use alveolar bone grafts, waitlists decreased, and follow-up improved. These findings demonstrate that the partnership model may be effective in providing cleft care and increasing cleft surgical capacity.

Improved Early Cleft Lip and Palate Complications at a Surgery Specialty Center in the Developing World

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate complication rates following cleft lip and cleft palate repairs during the transition from mission-based care to center-based care in a developing region.

PATIENTS AND DESIGN

We performed a retrospective review of 3419 patients who underwent cleft lip repair and 1728 patients who underwent cleft palate repair in Guwahati, India between December 2010 and February 2014. Of those who underwent cleft lip repair, 654 were treated during a surgical mission and 2765 were treated at a permanent center. Of those who underwent cleft palate repair, 236 were treated during a surgical mission and 1491 were treated at a permanent center.

SETTING

Two large surgical missions to Guwahati, India, and the Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Center (GCCCC) in Assam, India.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Overall complication rates following cleft lip and cleft palate repair.

RESULTS

Overall complication rates following cleft lip repair were 13.2% for the first mission, 6.7% for the second mission, and 4.0% at GCCCC. Overall complication rates following cleft palate repair were 28.0% for the first mission, 30.0% for the second mission, and 15.8% at GCCCC. Complication rates following cleft palate repair by the subset of surgeons permanently based at GCCCC (7.2%) were lower than visiting surgeons ( P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the notion that transitioning from a mission-based model to a permanent facility-based model of cleft care delivery in the developing world can lead to decreased complication rates.

Evaluation of a countrywide implementation of the world health organisation surgical safety checklist in Madagascar

BACKGROUND

The 2009 World Health Organisation (WHO) surgical safety checklist significantly reduces surgical mortality and morbidity (up to 47%). Yet in 2016, only 25% of East African anesthetists regularly use the checklist. Nationwide implementation of the checklist is reported in high-income countries, but in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) reports of successful implementations are sparse, limited to single institutions and require intensive support. Since checklist use leads to the biggest improvements in outcomes in LMICs, methods of wide-scale implementation are needed. We hypothesized that, using a three-day course, successful wide-scale implementation of the checklist could be achieved, as measured by at least 50% compliance with six basic safety processes at three to four months. We also aimed to determine predictors for checklist utilization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using a blended educational implementation strategy based on prior pilot studies we designed a three-day dynamic educational course to facilitate widespread implementation of the WHO checklist. The course utilized lectures, film, small group breakouts, participant feedback and simulation to teach the knowledge, skills and behavior changes needed to implement the checklist. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and local hospital leadership, the course was delivered to 427 multi-disciplinary staff at 21 hospitals located in 19 of 22 regions of Madagascar between September 2015 and March 2016. We evaluated implementation at three to four months using questionnaires (with a 5-point Likert scale) and focus groups. Multivariate linear regression was used to test predictors of checklist utilization.

RESULTS

At three to four months, 65% of respondents reported always using the checklist, with another 13% using it in part. Participant's years in practice, hospital size, or surgical volume did not predict checklist use. Checklist use was associated with counting instruments (p< 0.05), but not with verifying: patient identity, difficult intubation risk, risk of blood loss, prophylactic antibiotic administration, or counting needles and sponges.

CONCLUSION

Use of a multi-disciplinary three-day course for checklist implementation resulted in 78% of participants using the checklist, at three months; and an increase in counting surgical instruments. Successful checklist implementation was not predicted by participant length of medical service, hospital size or surgical volume. If reproducible in other countries, widespread implementation in LMICs becomes a realistic possibility.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Total Hip Arthroplasty Performed by a Canadian Short-Stay Surgical Team in Ecuador

Background

Few charitable overseas surgical missions produce cost-effectiveness analyses of their work.

Methods

We compared the pre- and postoperative health status for 157 total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients operated on from 2007 to 2011 attended by an annual Canadian orthopedic mission to Ecuador to determine the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. The costs of each mission are known. The cost per surgery was divided by the average lifetime QALYs gained to estimate an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in Canadian dollars per QALY.

Results

The average lifetime QALYs (95% CI) gained were 1.46 (1.4–1.5), 2.5 (2.4–2.6), and 2.9 (2.7–3.1) for unilateral, bilateral, and staged (two THAs in different years) operations, respectively. The ICERs were $4,442 for unilateral, $2,939 for bilateral, and $4392 for staged procedures. Seventy percent of the mission budget was spent on the transport and accommodation of volunteers.

Conclusion

THA by a Canadian short-stay surgical team was highly cost-effective, according to criteria from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the World Health Organization. We encourage other international missions to provide similar cost-effectiveness data to enable better comparison between mission types and between mission and nonmission care.

Smile Train: Making the Grade in Global Cleft Care

The global medical and psychological burden of cleft lip and palate is large, especially in low- and middle-income countries. For decades, medical missions have sought to alleviate this burden; however, there are significant barriers to providing sustainable, high-quality cleft care using the mission model. Smile Train, an international children's charity founded in 1999, has developed a scalable model which provides support to local partner hospitals and surgeons around the world. Smile Train partners with hospitals to support cleft care treatment across the developing world. Partner hospitals are held to strict safety and quality standards. Local or regional providers are primarily used to train medical personnel. A quality assurance process developed by the Smile Train's Medical Advisory Board is used to assess cleft surgery cases and suggest additional review and training as needed. Surgical candidates are systematically evaluated and must meet specific medical criteria to ensure safety. Experienced anesthetists adhere to Smile Train's safety and quality protocols including anesthesia guidelines. Smile Train and its partners have provided more than 1.2 million safe, high-quality cleft surgical treatments since 1999. Smile Train has sponsored more than 3,000 hands-on training opportunities, 30,000 opportunities to participate in cleft conferences, and 40,000 virtual cleft training opportunities. Through rigorous self-governance and its sustainable, scalable model, this organization has elevated the standard of cleft care in the developing world.

Validation of a Unilateral Cleft Lip Surgical Outcomes Evaluation Scale for Surgeons and Laypersons

BACKGROUND

A standardized evaluation tool is needed for the assessment of surgical outcomes in cleft lip surgery. Current scales for evaluating unilateral cleft lip/nose (UCL/N) aesthetic outcomes are limited in their reliability, ease of use, and application. The Unilateral Cleft Lip Surgical Outcomes Evaluation (UCL SOE) scale measures symmetry of 4 components and sums these for a total score. The purpose of this study was to validate the SOE as a reliable tool for use by both surgeons and laypersons.

METHODS

Twenty participants (9 surgeons and 12 laypeople) used the SOE to evaluate 25 sets of randomly selected presurgical and postsurgical standardized photographs of UCL/N patients. Interrater reliability for surgeon and laypeople was determined using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

Individual surgeons and laypeople both reached an ICC in the "fair to good" range (ICC = 0.42 and 0.59, respectively). Averaging 2 evaluators in the surgeon group improved the ICC to 0.58 and in the laypeople group to 0.74, respectively. Averaging 3 evaluators increased the ICC for surgeons to the "good" range (ICC = 0.71) and the ICC for laypeople to the "very good" range (ICC = 0.82).

CONCLUSIONS

Surgeon and layperson raters can reliably use the SOE to assess the aesthetics results after surgical repair of UCL/N, and improved reliability and reproducibility is achieved by averaging the scores of multiple reviewers.

Validation of the Unilateral Cleft Lip Severity Index for Surgeons and Laypersons

BACKGROUND

Severity of the primary unilateral cleft lip/nose deformity (UCL/N) is postulated to play a key role in postoperative complications, aesthetic result, and need for secondary surgery. There is no validated and widely accepted classification scheme of initial cleft severity. The purpose of this study was to validate the Unilateral Cleft Lip Cleft Severity Index as a reliable tool for evaluating presurgical UCL/N deformity by both surgeons and laypersons.

METHODS

Twenty-five participants (10 surgeons and 15 laypeople) evaluated 25 sets of randomly selected presurgical standardized photographs of UCL/N patients. Each participant rated patients on a scale of 1-4 using the Cleft Severity Index. Interrater reliability for surgeons, laypersons, and all participants was determined using an intraclass correlation coefficient. Histograms and regression analysis were performed to compare average ratings between groups.

RESULTS

Interrater reliability for all groups was classified as "very good" determined by intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.837 (laymen), 0.885 (surgeons), and 0.848 (all participants). These results indicate that there was a high degree of interrater across all 3 groups and that both surgeons and laypersons can reliability rate cleft severity using the Cleft Severity Index.

CONCLUSIONS

This study validates the use of the Cleft Severity Index by both surgeons and laypersons as a reliable tool for evaluating the degree of presurgical severity of patients with UCL/N. The Unilateral Cleft Lip Cleft Severity Index can thus serve as a reproducible and reliable grading system for primary UCL/N deformity and to categorize patients for future outcomes studies.

An anatomical subunit-based outcome assessment scale for bilateral cleft lip and palate

As there is currently no internationally accepted outcome measurement tool available for complete bilateral cleft lip and palate (CBCLP), the goal of this prospective study was to develop a numerical evaluation scale that allows reliable scoring of this cleft deformity. Our cohort comprised 121 Indian subjects with CBCLP who underwent surgical repair (mean age at time of surgery 6.53 months) using a modified Millard technique. A panel of three professionals evaluated each subject's outcome of bilateral cleft lip repair 6 months postoperatively on two-dimensional (2D) full-face photographs in the frontal view and worm's eye view. A simple two-point rating system was applied to separately analyse a total of 12 components of lip, nose, and scar. The results and mean scores for the analysed anatomical areas were 2.2±1.01 (max=3) for nose, 5.4±1.54 (max=8) for lip, and 1.9±1.3 (max=3) for scar, with a total score 7.7±2.21 (max=12) indicating a good surgical outcome. The inter-examiner ICC for nose, lip, scar, and total score was calculated at 0.836, 0.889, 0.723, and 0.927 respectively and indicated a strong level of repeatability and reliability that was highly significant (P<0.001). In conclusion, we were able to develop and test a scoring system for measuring outcomes in CBCLP that warrants simplicity of use, reliability and reproducibility.

Charitable platforms in global surgery: a systematic review of their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and role training

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to propose a classification scheme for platforms of surgical delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to review the literature documenting their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and role in training. Approximately 28 % of the global burden of disease is surgical. In LMICs, much of this burden is borne by a rapidly growing international charitable sector, in fragmented platforms ranging from short-term trips to specialized hospitals. Systematic reviews of these platforms, across regions and across disease conditions, have not been performed.

METHODS

A systematic review of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed from 1960 to 2013. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined a priori. Bibliographies of retrieved studies were searched by hand. Of the 8,854 publications retrieved, 104 were included.

RESULTS

Surgery by international charitable organizations is delivered under two, specialized hospitals and temporary platforms. Among the latter, short-term surgical missions were the most common and appeared beneficial when no other option was available. Compared to other platforms, however, worse results and a lack of cost-effectiveness curtailed their role. Self-contained temporary platforms that did not rely on local infrastructure showed promise, based on very few studies. Specialized hospitals provided effective treatment and appeared sustainable; cost-effectiveness evidence was limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Because the charitable sector delivers surgery in vastly divergent ways, systematic review of these platforms has been difficult. This paper provides a framework from which to study these platforms for surgery in LMICs. Given the available evidence, self-contained temporary platforms and specialized surgical centers appear to provide more effective and cost-effective care than short-term surgical mission trips, except when no other delivery platform exists.

Short-term medical service trips: a systematic review of the evidence

Short-term medical service trips (MSTs) aim to address unmet health care needs of low- and middle-income countries. The lack of critically reviewed empirical evidence of activities and outcomes is a concern. Developing evidence-based recommendations for health care delivery requires systematic research review. I focused on MST publications with empirical results. Searches in May 2013 identified 67 studies published since 1993, only 6% of the published articles on the topic in the past 20 years. Nearly 80% reported on surgical trips. Although the MST field is growing, its medical literature lags behind, with nearly all of the scholarly publications lacking significant data collection. By incorporating data collection into service trips, groups can validate practices and provide information about areas needing improvement.

Parents' satisfaction with repair of paediatric cleft lip/cleft palate in Honduras

BACKGROUND

Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that provides free cleft lip and cleft palate repair to impoverished children worldwide. To date, no longitudinal studies of satisfaction among these patients or their families have been published.

OBJECTIVES

In a cohort of parents of children receiving cleft lip/cleft palate repair, to assess parental satisfaction and fulfillment of expectations.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study with pre-operative and 6-month post-operative interviews of parents of 45 patients of the Operation Smile mission in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2007 was undertaken. Patients were recruited from a total of 96 who underwent surgery, with follow-up data available for 22 of them (49% of participants). Pre-operative interviews concerned expectations regarding surgery, and post-operative interviews addressed surgical outcomes and satisfaction.

RESULTS

Mean patient age was 4 years (range 3 months to 17 years); 51% underwent isolated cleft lip repair, and 49% cleft palate repair. This was the first surgery for 53%, the remainder having had previous surgery on one to six occasions. Pre-operatively, parents expressed expectations that speech (n = 26), appearance (n = 21) or feeding (n = 17) would improve. Among the 22 re-interviewed 6 months after surgery, two had experienced minor and one major post-operative complications. Only 14 of 22 had all their pre-operative expectations fulfilled. All except one parent reported satisfaction with the surgery.

CONCLUSION

Despite unmet expectations, parents of children who received medical mission surgery for cleft lip or cleft palate express satisfaction with outcomes. Other factors are likely to influence expressions of satisfaction in this setting.

Investing in a surgical outcomes auditing system

Background. Humanitarian surgical organizations consider both quantity of patients receiving care and quality of the care provided as a measure of success. However, organizational efficacy is often judged by the percent of resources spent towards direct intervention/surgery, which may discourage investment in an outcomes monitoring system. Operation Smile's established Global Standards of Care mandate minimum patient followup and quality of care. Purpose. To determine whether investment of resources in an outcomes monitoring system is necessary and effectively measures success. Methods. This paper analyzes the quantity and completeness of data collected over the past four years and compares it against changes in personnel and resources assigned to the program. Operation Smile began investing in multiple resources to obtain the missing data necessary to potentially implement a global Surgical Outcomes Auditing System. Existing personnel resources were restructured to focus on postoperative program implementation, data acquisition and compilation, and training materials used to educate local foundation and international employees. Results. An increase in the number of postoperative forms and amount of data being submitted to headquarters occurred. Conclusions. Humanitarian surgical organizations would benefit from investment in a surgical outcomes monitoring system in order to demonstrate success and to ameliorate quality of care.

An opportunity for diagonal development in global surgery: cleft lip and palate care in resource-limited settings

Global cleft surgery missions have provided much-needed care to millions of poor patients worldwide. Still, surgical capacity in low- and middle-income countries is generally inadequate. Through surgical missions, global cleft care has largely ascribed to a vertical model of healthcare delivery, which is disease specific, and tends to deliver services parallel to, but not necessarily within, the local healthcare system. The vertical model has been used to address infectious diseases as well as humanitarian emergencies. By contrast, a horizontal model for healthcare delivery tends to focus on long-term investments in public health infrastructure and human capital and has less often been implemented by humanitarian groups for a variety of reasons. As surgical care is an integral component of basic healthcare, the plastic surgery community must challenge itself to address the burden of specific disease entities, such as cleft lip and palate, in a way that sustainably expands and enriches global surgical care as a whole. In this paper, we describe a diagonal care delivery model, whereby cleft missions can enrich surgical capacity through integration into sustainable, local care delivery systems. Furthermore, we examine the applications of diagonal development to cleft care specifically and global surgical care more broadly.

Best Practice Guidelines on Surgical Response in Disasters and Humanitarian Emergencies: Report of the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit Working Group on Surgical Issues within the Humanitarian Space

The provision of surgery within humanitarian crises is complex, requiring coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders. During the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit best practice guidelines were proposed to provide greater accountability and standardization in surgical humanitarian relief efforts. Surgical humanitarian relief planning should occur early and include team selection and preparation, appropriate disaster-specific anticipatory planning, needs assessment, and an awareness of local resources and limitations of cross-cultural project management. Accurate medical record keeping and timely follow-up is important for a transient surgical population. Integration with local health systems is essential and will help facilitate longer term surgical health system strengthening.