Implementing surgical mentorship in a resource-constrained context: a mixed methods assessment of the experiences of mentees, mentors, and leaders, and lessons learned.

Background: A well-qualified workforce is critical to effective functioning of health systems and populations; however, skill gaps present a challenge in low-resource settings. While an emerging body of evidence suggests that mentorship can improve quality, access, and systems in African health settings by building the capacity of health providers, less is known about its implementation in surgery. We studied a novel surgical mentorship intervention as part of a safe surgery intervention (Safe Surgery 2020) in five rural Ethiopian facilities to understand factors affecting implementation of surgical mentorship in resource-constrained settings.

Outcomes of a multicomponent safe surgery intervention in Tanzania's Lake Zone: a prospective, longitudinal study.

Background: Evidence-based strategies for improving surgical quality and patient outcomes in low-resource settings are a priority.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a multicomponent safe surgery intervention (Safe Surgery 2020) on (1) adherence to safety practices, teamwork and communication, and documentation in patient files, and (2) incidence of maternal sepsis, postoperative sepsis, and surgical site infection.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study in 10 intervention and 10 control facilities in Tanzania's Lake Zone, across a 3-month pre-intervention period in 2018 and 3-month post-intervention period in 2019.

Improving surgical quality in low-income and middle-income countries: why do some health facilities perform better than others?

Background: Evidence on heterogeneity in outcomes of surgical quality interventions in low-income and middle-income countries is limited. We explored factors driving performance in the Safe Surgery 2020 intervention in Tanzania's Lake Zone to distil implementation lessons for low-resource settings.

Methods: We identified higher (n=3) and lower (n=3) performers from quantitative data on improvement from 14 safety and teamwork and communication indicators at 0 and 12 months from 10 intervention facilities, using a positive deviance framework.

Surgical referrals in Northern Tanzania: a prospective assessment of rates, preventability, reasons and patterns.

Background: An effective referral system is essential for a high-quality health system that provides safe surgical care while optimizing patient outcomes and ensuring efficiency. The role of referral systems in countries with under-resourced health systems is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the rates, preventability, reasons and patterns of outward referrals of surgical patients across three levels of the healthcare system in Northern Tanzania.

Safe Surgery for All: Early Lessons from Implementing a National Government-Driven Surgical Plan in Ethiopia.

Recognizing the unmet need for surgical care in Ethiopia, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has pioneered innovative methodologies for surgical system development with Saving Lives through Safe Surgery (SaLTS). SaLTS is a national flagship initiative designed to improve access to safe, essential and emergency surgical and anaesthesia care across all levels of the healthcare system. Sustained commitment from the FMOH and their recruitment of implementing partners has led to notable accomplishments across the breadth of the surgical system, including but not limited to: (1) Leadership, management and governance-a nationally scaled surgical leadership and mentorship programme, (2) Infrastructure-operating room construction and oxygen delivery plan, (3) Supplies and logistics-a national essential surgical procedure and equipment list, (4) Human resource development-a Surgical Workforce Expansion Plan and Anaesthesia National Roadmap, (5) Advocacy and partnership-strong FMOH partnership with international organizations, including GE Foundation's SafeSurgery2020 initiative, (6) Innovation-facility-driven identification of problems and solutions, (7) Quality of surgical and anaesthesia care service delivery-a national peri-operative guideline and WHO Surgical Safety Checklist implementation, and (8) Monitoring and evaluation-a comprehensive plan for short-term and long-term assessment of surgical quality and capacity.