GAPS Phase III: incorporation of capacity based weighting in the global assessment for pediatric surgery.

Introduction: The Global Assessment for Pediatric Surgery (GAPS) tool was developed to enhance pediatric surgical care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This study presents the addition of a capacity-based weighting system to the GAPS tool.

Methods: GAPS, developed through a multi-phase process including systematic review, international testing, item analysis, and refinement, assesses 64 items across 5 domains: human resources, material resources, education, accessibility, and outcomes.

Determinants of Access to Essential Surgery in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the determinants and barriers of essential surgical care are not well described, hindering efforts to improve national surgical programs and access.

Methods: A cross-sectional study evaluated access to essential surgery in the Butembo and Katwa health zones in the North Kivu province of DRC. A double-clustered random sample of community members was surveyed using questions derived from the Surgeons OverSeas Surgical Needs Assessment Survey, a validated tool to determine the reasons for not seeking, reaching, or receiving a Bellwether surgery (i.

Surgical Repair of Orofacial Clefts in North Kivu Province of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Background: There is a high prevalence of orofacial clefts in low- and middle-income countries with significant unmet need, despite having 50% of the population younger than 18 years in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The purpose of this article is to report on the experience of general surgeons with orofacial clefts at a single institution.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients treated for cleft lip/palate in the province of North Kivu, DRC between 2008 and 2017.

Geospatial Mapping of Pediatric Surgical Capacity in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: Despite recent attention to the provision of healthcare in low- and middle-income countries, improvements in access to surgical services have been disproportionately lagging.

Methods: This study analyzes the geographic variability in access to pediatric surgical services in the province of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On-site data collection was conducted using the Global Assessment of Pediatric Surgery tool.

Use of mobile health technologies for postoperative care in paediatric surgery: A systematic review.

Introduction: Mobile health (mHealth) is the use of mobile communication devices such as smartphones, wireless patient monitoring devices and tablet computers to deliver health services. Paediatric surgery patient care could potentially benefit from these technologies. This systematic review summarises the current literature on the use of mHealth for postoperative care after children's surgery.

Neurosurgical management of hydrocephalus by a general surgeon in an extremely low resource setting: initial experience in North Kivu province of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Purpose: Evaluate the management of hydrocephalus in pediatric patients in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by a general surgeon.

Methods: Retrospective review of a single institution in the province of North Kivu. Patient charts and surgical notes were reviewed from 2003 to 2016.

Operations for Suspected Neoplasms in a Resource-Limited Setting: Experience and Challenges in the Eastern Democratic of Congo.

Introduction: Surgery is an essential component of a functional health system, with surgical conditions accounting for nearly 11-15% of world disability. While communicable diseases continue to burden low- and low-middle-income countries, non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, are an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Preliminary data on malignancies in low- and middle-income countries, specifically in Africa, suggest a higher mortality compared to other regions of the world, a difference partially explained by limited availability of screening and early detection systems as well as poorer access to treatment.

Characterizing pediatric surgical capacity in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: results of a pilot study.

Purpose: Characterize pediatric surgical capacity in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to identify areas of potential improvement.

Methods: The Pediatric Personnel, Infrastructure, Procedures, Equipment, and Supplies (PediPIPES) survey was used in two representative eastern DRC provinces to assess existing surgical infrastructure and capacity. We compared our results to previously published reports from other sub-Saharan African countries.

Artemisia annua dried leaf tablets treated malaria resistant to ACT and i.v. artesunate: Case reports.

Background: Dried leaf Artemisia annua (DLA) has shown efficacy against Plasmodium sp. in rodent studies and in small clinical trials. Rodent malaria also showed resiliency against the evolution of artemisinin drug resistance.

Getting It Right the First Time: Defining Regionally Relevant Training Curricula and Provider Core Competencies for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education on the African Continent.

Significant evidence identifies point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) as an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool in resource-limited settings. Despite this evidence, local health care providers on the African continent continue to have limited access to and use of ultrasound, even in potentially high-impact fields such as obstetrics and trauma. Dedicated postgraduate emergency medicine residency training programs now exist in 8 countries, yet no current consensus exists in regard to core PoCUS competencies.

Patterns of Congenital Malformations and Barriers to Care in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: An increase of congenital anomalies in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been reported. Congenital malformations (CMs) are not uncommon among newborns and, if left untreated, can contribute to increased neonate morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Medical records of all individuals admitted with a diagnosed CM to HEAL Africa Teaching Hospital (Goma, DRC) from 2002 to 2014 (n=1301) were reviewed.

Sexual violence toward children and youth in war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: The epidemic of gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has garnered popular media attention, but is incompletely described in the medical literature to date. In particular, the relative importance of militarized compared to civilian rape and the impact on vulnerable populations merits further study. We describe a retrospective case series of sexual abuse among children and youth in eastern DRC.