Exploring Health Inequalities and Presurgical Attitudes on Postsurgical Outcomes in Spine Surgery.

Objective: The influence of social determinants of health on health disparities is substantial. However, their impact on postsurgical outcomes in spine can be challenging to ascertain at the community level. This study aims to explore the interplay between presurgical attitudes, area deprivation index (ADI), income, employment status, and body mass index (BMI) on postsurgical outcomes at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after elective spine surgery.

Factors Associated with Adverse Outcomes in Cameroonian Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The burden of traumatic brain injury (TBI) disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries. In Cameroon, the estimated annual incidence rate is 572 cases per 100,000 people. This study investigated factors associated with adverse outcomes in the management of Cameroonian patients with TBI.

State of African Neurosurgical Education: An Analysis of Publicly Available Curricula.

Background: Africa bears more than 15% of the global burden of neurosurgical disease; however, it has the lowest neurosurgical workforce density worldwide. The past decade has seen an increase in neurosurgery residency programs on the continent. It is unclear how these residency programs are similar or viable.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29 (PROMIS-29) Comparison Study: Assessing for PROMIS-29 Depression and Anxiety Psychopathologic Cutoff Values Amongst Patients Undergoing Elective Complex Spine Procedures.

Objective: The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29 (PROMIS-29) are used to assess patient psychology, pain, and quality of life. As psychological factors, such as depression and anxiety, are associated with poor perioperative outcomes, we aim to translate MMPI-2-RF values to PROMIS-29 scores and establish cutoff values for PROMIS-29 anxiety and depression domains that might warrant attention preoperatively.

Methods: Seventy adult patients scheduled for an elective spinal surgery between July 2018 and February 2020 who completed both the MMPI-2-RF and PROMIS-29 preoperatively at a single institution were reviewed.

Relative Citation Ratios of Global Surgery, Obstetrics, Trauma, and Anesthesia: Implications and Lessons for Global Neurosurgery.

Background: The National Institutes of Health has developed a new metric, the Relative Citation Ratio (RCR), to assess the impact of research articles and compare academic productivity across different fields. Global surgery, obstetrics, trauma, and anesthesia (SOTA) are young and increasingly popular fields attracting researchers and funding. This study analyzed the RCR of global neurosurgery; compared it with other global SOTA specialties; and discussed the implications for researchers, academic institutions, and aspiring global neurosurgeons.

Evaluating the impact of neurosurgical rotation experience in Africa on the interest and perception of medical students towards a career in neurosurgery: a protocol for a continental, cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Africa has the second highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally. Despite the many recent advancements in increasing neurosurgical access in Africa, published reports have shown that the vast majority of undergraduate students have little or no exposure to neurosurgery. The lack of exposure may pose a challenge in reducing the neurosurgical workforce deficit, which is one of the long-term strategies of tackling the unmet burden of disease.

Evaluating the Impact of Neurosurgical Rotation Experience in Africa on the Interest and Perception of Medical Students Towards a Career in Neurosurgery: A Continental, Multi-Centre, Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Africa has the second highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally and many medical students in Africa lack exposure to the field. This study aims to assess the impact of a neurosurgical rotation during medical school in shaping the perception and interest of students toward a career in neurosurgery.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.