Publications by authors named "Radzi Hamzah"

Article Synopsis
  • Myelomeningocele (MMC) primarily impacts low-resource regions, especially where there is no mandatory folic acid fortification, but research on its neurosurgical management is concentrated in high-income countries (HICs).
  • A systematic review revealed that while HICs account for a small percentage of global neural tube defect cases, they dominate both authorship and patient representation in the research literature, with minimal contributions from lower-income countries.
  • Findings suggest a significant disparity in MMC research output relative to disease burden, highlighting an urgent need for increased scholarly attention and resource allocation in lower-income countries where MMC cases are more prevalent.
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Background: Appropriate surgical infrastructure is important for improving patient outcomes. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often struggle to provide adequate brain tumor surgery due to fractured infrastructure. This study aims to identify and evaluate barriers to surgical care infrastructure for brain tumors in LMICs.

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Background & objectives Many low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) have attempted to implement trauma registries with varying degrees of success. This study aimed to understand the registry implementation mechanism in LMICs better. Study objectives include assessment of the current use of trauma registries in LMICs, identification of barriers to the process and potential areas for intervention, and investigation of the registry implementation experience of key stakeholders in LMICs.

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Background & objectives Injuries profoundly impact global health, with substantial deaths and disabilities, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper presents strategic consensus from the Transdisciplinary Research, Advocacy, and Implementation Network for Trauma in India (TRAIN Trauma India) symposium, advocating for enhanced, system-level trauma care to address this challenge. Methods Five working groups conducted separate literature reviews on pre-hospital trauma care, in-hospital trauma resuscitation and training, trauma systems, trauma registries, and India's Towards Improving Trauma Care Outcomes (TITCO) registry.

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This article provides a thorough analysis of the evolution and current state of global neurosurgery, emphasizing the transformative power of partnerships between various stakeholders to address the stark inequities in neurosurgical care, especially in LMICs. It discusses the transition from reliance on short-term medical missions to the development of sustainable, locally led neurosurgical programs through education, training, and infrastructure development. The article highlights the importance of long-term educational exchanges, innovative digital learning platforms, and strategic collaborations with foundations, philanthropic organizations, and academic institutions to build local capacities, enhance global neurosurgical competency, and promote self-sufficiency in neurosurgical care across different regions.

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Background: Adjuvant therapy is an important tool in the arsenal of brain tumor management and can improve patients' outcomes significantly but low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often face challenges in provision. Therefore, our study aims to highlight barriers and strategies to adjuvant therapy of brain tumors in low-resource settings.

Method: A comprehensive search of literature was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and Scopus, from inception to October 20, 2022.

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Objective: While early diagnosis of brain tumors is essential for improving prognoses, several challenges prevent early diagnosis of these illnesses in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The objective of this systematic review is to identify and evaluate the barriers and challenges to early detection of brain tumors in LMICs, as well as to propose potential solutions.

Methods: A thorough search of the literature was carried out with the aid of multiple databases, including Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus.

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Background: Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often struggle to provide adequate neurosurgical care due to poor governance and institutional efforts, making access to care difficult. Therefore, our review of literature aims to identify gaps in government, national, and institutional efforts to combat barriers to neurosurgical care of brain tumors in LMICs, to inform future policy and action planning.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CINAHL without language restrictions from inception to October 20, 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • Health care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) struggles with inadequate data management and national cancer registries, hindering the understanding and treatment of brain tumors.
  • A literature review identified 23 studies revealing significant challenges such as poor hospital records (43%), absence of a national brain tumor registry (67%), and low research output (33%).
  • Strategies to improve data management include enhancing recording systems (45%), establishing a population-based brain tumor registry (64%), and creating local treatment guidelines (9%), requiring government and public health support for effective implementation.
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Background And Objectives: Brain tumors have a poor prognosis and a high death rate. Sufficient aftercare is necessary to enhance patient results. But follow-up care provision is fraught with difficulties in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where a variety of variables can impede access to care.

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Background: Armed conflicts pose a burden on health care services. We sought to assess the surgical capacity and responses of nonmilitary and nongovernmental humanitarian responders in armed conflicts through proxy indicators to identify strategies to address surgical needs.

Methods: We searched 6 databases for articles/studies from January 1, 2013, to March 10, 2023.

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Limited neurosurgical workforces remain one of the critical problems experienced in low resource settings. Therefore, our study aims to explore and summarize the key challenges to neurosurgical care of brain tumors in terms of workforce in LMICs. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar from inception to October 20, 2022.

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Background: Making neurosurgical care accessible to a larger portion of the population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is integral due to the high mortality and morbidity associated with brain tumors. However, the high cost of care often makes it financially out of reach for many individuals. Therefore, this review aims to identify barriers to neurosurgical care of brain tumors in terms of financing in LMICs.

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Introduction: Brain tumors pose a major challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to limited resources and high costs, resulting in hampered service delivery of neurosurgical care and significant disparities in patient outcomes compared to high-income nations. Therefore, our systematic review aims to identify barriers to service delivery in providing adequate surgical care for the management of brain tumors in LMICs.

Methods: We searched Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL, from inception to October 20, 2022.

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Objective: This study evaluated how surgical and anesthesiology departments adapted their resources in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Design: This scoping review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews protocol, with Covidence as a screening tool. An initial search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Global Index Medicus, and Cochrane Systematic Reviews returned 6,131 results in October 2021.

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Objective: We report on the development and implementation of a surgical simulation curriculum for undergraduate medical students in rural Rwanda.

Design: This is a narrative report on the development of scenario and procedure-based content for a junior surgical clerkship simulation curriculum by an interdisciplinary team of simulation specialists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, medical educators, and medical students.

Setting: University of Global Health Equity, a new medical school located in Butaro, Rwanda.

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Background: An interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers and simulation specialists adopted and modified a protocol for the creation of a low-cost, gelatin-based breast model for teaching ultrasound-guided breast biopsy and assessed first-time user experience.

Methods: An interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers and simulation specialists adopted and modified a protocol for the creation of a low-cost, gelatin-based breast model for teaching ultrasound-guided breast biopsy for approximately $4.40 USD.

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Background: Afghanistan has suffered through conflicts that have detrimentally impacted its health care systems. The countries' neurosurgeons have worked through wars and political upheavals to build solid practices and handle large caseloads with minimal supplies and almost no modern tools. Understanding the current state of neurosurgery in Afghanistan and the challenges faced by Afghan physicians and patients is critical to improving the country's healthcare capacity.

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