Ka Mariama, Modarressi Ali, Dumont Lionel
Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
"2 Chance" Association, Geneva, Switzerland.
World J Plast Surg. 2024;13(2):11-18. doi: 10.61186/wjps.13.2.11.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, which already faces challenges due to a lack of surgeons and facilities, the COVID-19 pandemic could significantly disrupt surgical activities and training programs. "2 Chance", a non-governmental organization providing training program to enhance local reconstructive surgery capacity in this region since 2015, could play a crucial role in addressing these issues. We aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 on the activity of sub-Saharan African reconstructive surgeons collaborating with "2 Chance" organization and evaluate its effect on the organization's training programs.
In the course of 2022, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted among reconstructive surgeons working in sub-Saharan African countries and collaborating with "2 Chance". The survey consisted of 57 questions covering demographics, impacts of COVID-19 on personal life, clinical and training activities.
Of 469 surgeons eligible for the study, 240 were included and 51 responded. The impact of COVID-19 was felt personally in terms of health and stress. Clinical activities were severely affected, with some reporting higher mortality due to surgical cancellations and delays. Regarding training, there was a shift from practical to theoretical learning, though overall impact was moderate. One-third of participants were able to attend "2 Chance" workshops. Among the 17 planned workshops, 9 were successfully conducted, and 4 of them exclusively featured African trainers.
The COVID-19 pandemic had substantial consequences on reconstructive surgery in sub-Saharan Africa, impacting more clinical practices than training programs. Collaboration between African and European trainers proved essential during the pandemic. In future pandemics, South-South collaborations should be prioritized.
在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，由于缺乏外科医生和设施，该地区已经面临诸多挑战，而新冠疫情可能会严重扰乱外科手术活动和培训项目。“二次机会”是一个非政府组织，自2015年以来一直在该地区提供培训项目，以提高当地的重建外科手术能力，它在解决这些问题方面可能发挥关键作用。我们旨在调查新冠疫情对与“二次机会”组织合作的撒哈拉以南非洲重建外科医生活动的影响，并评估其对该组织培训项目的效果。
在2022年期间，对在撒哈拉以南非洲国家工作并与“二次机会”合作的重建外科医生进行了一项在线横断面调查。该调查包括57个问题，涵盖人口统计学、新冠疫情对个人生活、临床和培训活动的影响。
在469名符合研究条件的外科医生中，240名被纳入研究，51名做出了回应。新冠疫情在健康和压力方面对个人产生了影响。临床活动受到严重影响，一些人报告称由于手术取消和延误导致死亡率上升。关于培训，学习方式从实践转向了理论，不过总体影响适中。三分之一的参与者能够参加“二次机会”的研讨会。在计划的17次研讨会中，9次成功举办，其中4次专门由非洲培训师授课。
新冠疫情对撒哈拉以南非洲的重建外科手术产生了重大影响，对临床实践的影响大于培训项目。事实证明，在疫情期间，非洲和欧洲培训师之间的合作至关重要。在未来的疫情中，应优先考虑南南合作。
