Long-Term Outcomes Following Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana.

Objective: To assess long-term outcomes following inguinal hernia repair with mesh performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana.

Background: Task sharing of surgical care with nonsurgeons can increase access to essential surgery. Long-term safety and outcomes of task sharing are not well-described for hernia repair.

Plasma/Serum Oxidant Parameters in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Most published results have revealed variations in the association of serum/plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study was performed to establish MDA, ApoB, and OxLDL levels in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Electronic databases were searched for the included articles up to 27th February 2023.

Commonalities and differences in injured patient experiences of accessing and receiving quality injury care: a qualitative study in three sub-Saharan African countries.

Objectives: To understand commonalities and differences in injured patient experiences of accessing and receiving quality injury care across three lower-income and middle-income countries.

Design: A qualitative interview study. The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.

Low-Value Surgical Procedures in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Importance: Overuse of surgical procedures is increasing around the world and harms both individuals and health care systems by using resources that could otherwise be allocated to addressing the underuse of effective health care interventions. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is some limited country-specific evidence showing that overuse of surgical procedures is increasing, at least for certain procedures.

Objectives: To assess factors associated with, extent and consequences of, and potential solutions for low-value surgical procedures in LMICs.

A gist on an obscure neoplasm in Ghana: gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

Background: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour is a rare but potentially curable tumour of the gastrointestinal tract accounting for up to 1% of all gastrointestinal tumours. The discovery of Imatinib mesylate, a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor has improved the chances even for unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic diseases.

Methods: This study sought to document the clinical and pathological characteristics of GISTs from two tertiary hospitals in Ghana that have undergone immunohistochemistry confirmation between 2014 and 2021.

Economic evaluation of expanding inguinal hernia repair among adult males in Ghana.

An unmet need for inguinal hernia repair is significant in Ghana where the number of specialist general surgeons is extremely limited. While surgical task sharing with medical doctors without formal specialist training in surgery has been adopted for inguinal hernia repair in Ghana, no prior research has been conducted on the long-term costs and health outcomes associated with expanding operations to repair all inguinal hernias among adult males in Ghana. The study aimed to estimate cost-effectiveness of elective open mesh repair performed by medical doctors and surgeons for adult males with primary inguinal hernia compared to no treatment in Ghana and to project costs and health gains associated with expanding operation services through task sharing between medical doctors and surgeons.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Surgeons and Medical Doctors in Ghana.

Objectives: Task-sharing is the pragmatic sharing of tasks between providers with different levels of training. To our knowledge, no study has examined the cost-effectiveness of surgical task-sharing of hernia repair in a low-resource setting. This study has aimed to evaluate and compare the cost-effectiveness of mesh repair performed by Ghanaian surgeons and medical doctors (MDs) following a standardized training program.

The impact of preoperative oral nutrition supplementation on outcomes in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery for cancer in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Malnutrition is an independent predictor for postoperative complications in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We systematically reviewed evidence on the impact of preoperative oral nutrition supplementation (ONS) on patients undergoing gastrointestinal cancer surgery in LMICs. We searched EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, WHO Global Index Medicus, SciELO, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) databases from inception to March 21, 2022 for randomised controlled trials evaluating preoperative ONS in gastrointestinal cancer within LMICs.

Equitable access to quality trauma systems in low-income and middle-income countries: assessing gaps and developing priorities in Ghana, Rwanda and South Africa.

Injuries in low-income and middle-income countries are prevalent and their number is expected to increase. Death and disability after injury can be reduced if people reach healthcare facilities in a timely manner. Knowledge of barriers to access to quality injury care is necessary to intervene to improve outcomes.

A Qualitative Exploration of Nutrition Screening, Assessment and Oral Support Used in Patients Undergoing Cancer Surgery in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Preoperative undernutrition is a prognostic indicator for postoperative mortality and morbidity. Evidence suggests that treating undernutrition can improve surgical outcomes. This study explored the provision of nutritional screening, assessment and support on surgical cancer wards in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Community engagement and involvement in Ghana: conversations with community stakeholders to inform surgical research.

Background: Involving patients and communities with health research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) contributes to increasing the likelihood that research is relevant in local context and caters to the needs of the population, including vulnerable and marginalised groups. When done right, it can also support empowerment of wider communities in taking ownership of their own health, lead to increased access and uptake of health services and generally improve the wellbeing of individuals. However, the evidence base of how to undertake successful community engagement and involvement (CEI) activities in LMICs is sparse.

A retrospective review of gastroschisis epidemiology and referral patterns in northern Ghana.

Purpose: To describe the epidemiology and referral patterns of gastroschisis patients in northern Ghana.

Methods: A hospital-based retrospective review was undertaken at Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) between 2014 and 2019. Data from gastroschisis patients were compared to patients with other surgical diagnoses.

Increasing the use of continuing professional development courses to strengthen trauma care in Ghana.

Unlabelled: Injury is a major cause of death and disability in Ghana. Strengthening care of the injured is essential to reduce this burden. Trauma continuing professional development (CPD) courses are an important component of strengthening trauma care.

Patient Experience and Outcomes of the Locally Organized ApriDec Medical Outreach Group.

Background: Access to safe and effective surgery is limited in low and middle-income countries. Short-term surgical missions are a common platform to provide care, but the few published outcomes suggest unacceptable morbidity and mortality. We sought to study the safety and effectiveness of the ApriDec Medical Outreach Group (AMOG).

Burden of Neonatal Surgical Conditions in Northern Ghana.

Background: Congenital anomalies have risen to become the fifth leading cause of under-five mortality globally. The majority of deaths and disability occur in low- and middle-income countries including Ghana. This 3-year retrospective review aimed to define, for the first time, the characteristics and outcomes of neonatal surgical conditions in northern Ghana.

Outcomes After Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana.

Importance: Inguinal hernia is the most common general surgical condition in the world. Although task sharing of surgical care with nonsurgeons represents one method to increase access to essential surgery, the safety and outcomes of this strategy are not well described for hernia repair.

Objective: To compare outcomes after inguinal hernia repair with mesh performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana.

Developing and implementing an interventional bundle to reduce mortality from gastroschisis in low-resource settings.

Gastroschisis is associated with less than 4% mortality in high-income countries and over 90% mortality in many tertiary paediatric surgery centres across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The aim of this trial is to develop, implement and prospectively evaluate an interventional bundle to reduce mortality from gastroschisis in seven tertiary paediatric surgery centres across SSA. A hybrid type-2 effectiveness-implementation, pre-post study design will be utilised.

Local anesthesia underutilized for inguinal hernia repair in northern Ghana.

Introduction: Inguinal hernia repair is a common procedure and a priority for public health efforts in Ghana. It is essential that inguinal hernia repair be performed in a safe, efficient manner to justify its widespread use. Local anesthesia has many favorable properties and has been shown to be superior, compared to regional or general anesthesia, in terms of pain control, safety profile, cost-effectiveness, resources required, and time to discharge.

Barriers to Timely Presentation of Patients with Surgical Conditions at Tamale Teaching Hospital in Northern Ghana.

Background: Improving access to surgical services and understanding the barriers to receiving timely care are necessary to save lives. The aim of this study was to assess barriers to timely presentation to an appropriate medical facility using the Three-Delay model, for patients presenting to Tamale Teaching Hospital, in northern Ghana.

Methods: In 2013, patients with delays in seeking surgical care were prospectively identified.