Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Department of Surgery, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Surg Endosc. 2024 Aug;38(8):4657-4662. doi: 10.1007/s00464-024-11015-2. Epub 2024 Jul 8.
It is estimated that up to 28% of global disease burden is surgical with hernias representing a unique challenge as the only definitive treatment is surgery. Surgical Outreach for the Americas (SOfA) is a nongovernmental organization focused primarily on alleviating the disease burden of inguinal and umbilical hernias in Central America. We present the experience of SOfA, a model focused on partnership and education.
SOfA was established in 2009 to help individuals recover from ailments that are obstacles to working and independent living. Over the past 15 years, SOfA has partnered with local healthcare providers in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize. The SOfA team consists of surgeons, surgery residents, triage physicians, an anesthesiologist, anesthetists, operating room nurses, recovery nurses, a pediatric critical care physician, sterile processing technicians, interpreters, and a team coordinator. Critical partnerships required include the CMO, internal medicine, general surgery, nursing, rural health coordinators and surgical training programs at public hospitals.
SOfA has completed 24 trips, performing 2074 procedures on 1792 patients. 71.4% of procedures were hernia repairs. To enhance sustainability of healthcare delivery, SOfA has partnered with the local facilities through capital improvements to include OR tables, OR lights, anesthesia machines, monitors, hospital beds, stretchers, sterilizers, air conditioning units, and electrosurgical generators. A lecture series and curriculum on perioperative care, anesthesia, anatomy, and operative technique is delivered. Local surgery residents and medical students participated in patient care, learning alongside SOfA teammates. Recently, SOfA has partnered with SAGES Global Affairs Committee to implement a virtual Global Laparoscopic Advancement Program, a simulation-based laparoscopic training curriculum for surgeons in El Salvador.
A sustainable partnership to facilitate surgical care in low resource settings requires longitudinal, collaborative relationships, and investments in capital improvements, education, and partnership with local healthcare providers, institutions, and training programs.
据估计，全球疾病负担的 28%与手术有关，而疝是一个独特的挑战，因为唯一的根治方法是手术。Surgical Outreach for the Americas（SOfA）是一个非政府组织，主要专注于减轻中美洲腹股沟疝和脐疝的疾病负担。我们介绍了 SOfA 的经验，这是一个专注于合作和教育的模式。
SOfA 成立于 2009 年，旨在帮助患有妨碍工作和独立生活的疾病的个人康复。在过去的 15 年里，SOfA 与多米尼加共和国、萨尔瓦多、洪都拉斯和伯利兹的当地医疗服务提供者建立了合作关系。SOfA 团队由外科医生、外科住院医师、分诊医生、麻醉师、麻醉护士、手术室护士、恢复护士、儿科重症监护医生、消毒技术人员、口译员和团队协调员组成。需要建立关键合作伙伴关系，包括首席医疗官、内科、普通外科、护理、农村卫生协调员以及公立医院的外科培训计划。
SOfA 已经完成了 24 次任务，对 1792 名患者进行了 2074 次手术。71.4%的手术是疝修补术。为了增强医疗保健提供的可持续性，SOfA 通过对当地设施进行资本投资来建立合作伙伴关系，包括手术室桌子、手术室灯、麻醉机、监护仪、医院病床、担架、消毒器、空调和电外科发生器。SOfA 还提供了关于围手术期护理、麻醉、解剖和手术技术的讲座系列和课程。当地的外科住院医师和医学生参与了患者护理，与 SOfA 队友一起学习。最近，SOfA 与 SAGES 全球事务委员会合作，为萨尔瓦多的外科医生实施了虚拟腹腔镜推广计划，这是一个基于模拟的腹腔镜培训课程。
在资源匮乏的环境中建立可持续的合作伙伴关系以促进手术护理需要建立长期的、协作的关系，并投资于资本改善、教育以及与当地医疗服务提供者、机构和培训计划的合作。
