Decision making for early surgical technology adoption into Canada's healthcare system: a scoping review of the decision-making criteria, challenges, and opportunities.

OBJECTIVES: In 2020, Canada spent 12.9 percent of its GDP on healthcare, of which 3 percent was on medical devices. Early adoption of innovative surgical devices is mostly driven by physicians and delaying adoption can deprive patients of important medical treatments. This study aimed to identify the criteria in Canada used to decide on the adoption of a surgical device and identify challenges and opportunities. METHODS: This scoping review was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. The search strategy included Canada's provinces, different surgical fields, and adoption. Embase, Medline, and provincial databases were searched. Grey literature was also searched. Data were analyzed by reporting the criteria that were used for technology adoption. Finally, a thematic analysis by subthematic categorization was conducted to arrange the criteria found. RESULTS: Overall, 155 studies were found. Seven were hospital-specific studies and 148 studies were from four provinces with publicly available Web sites for technology assessment committees (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec). Seven main themes of criteria were identified: economic, hospital-specific, technology-specific, patients/public, clinical outcomes, policies and procedures, and physician specific. However, standardization and specific weighted criteria for decision making in the early adoption stage of novel technologies are lacking in Canada. CONCLUSIONS: Specific criteria for decision making in the early adoption stage of novel surgical technologies are lacking. These criteria need to be identified, standardized, and applied in order to provide innovative, and the most effective healthcare to Canadians.

Hip Arthroscopy in Patients With Generalized Joint Hypermobility Yields Successful Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcomes of hip arthroscopy in patients with generalized joint hypermobility (GJH). METHODS: A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. An electronic record search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase. A 2-stage title/abstract and full-text screening was performed using the following inclusion criteria: (1) observational studies, cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials; (2) describing more than 5 patients with a mean age over 18 years and GJH; (3) undergoing arthroscopy of the hip; (4) reporting patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), return to sport, or complications/reoperations; and (5) published in English. RESULTS: Of the 517 articles identified, 10 studies meeting all selection criteria were included. Included studies report significant improvements in a range of different functional and pain-based PROMs. Most patients (25.0%-97.0%) in each study achieved a clinically important improvement postoperatively in at least 1 PROM. No complications were described in any of the 4 studies reporting this metric. One study each found an association between GJH and an increased risk of postoperative deep gluteal syndrome and iliopsoas tendinitis. The rate of revision arthroscopy ranged from 0% to 11.4%, and only 2 patients in a single study of 11 hips required conversion to total hip arthroplasty. No statistically significant differences were reported between patients with and without GJH with respect to any of the described outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with GJH may achieve good outcomes following hip arthroscopy with respect to PROMs, perioperative complications, reoperation, and return to sport. With effective labral repair and capsular closure, outcomes achieved in patients with GJH are comparable to those reported in patients without hypermobility. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review of level III to IV studies.

What are the outcomes of core decompression without augmentation in patients with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head?

PURPOSE: Core decompression (CD) of the femoral head is performed to preserve the hip in avascular necrosis (AVN). The outcome following this procedure differs based on the medical centre and the technique. Also, the time to total hip replacement (THR) and the percentage of patients subsequently undergoing a THR are controversial. METHODS: A systematic review was performed following PRISMA guidelines. The search included CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, AMED and Web of Science Core Collection databases. Studies reporting the outcome of CD for AVN were assessed. Studies using additional implants, vascularized grafts or any type of augmentation were excluded. Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist (JBI CAC) tool. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) - CRD42018100596 . RESULTS: A total of 49 studies describing 2540 hips were included. The mean weighted follow-up time was 75.1 months and the mean age at surgery was 39 years. Twenty-four of 37 studies reported improvement in all outcome scores, whilst 9/37 studies report only partial improvement post-operatively. Four studies (4/37) described poor clinical outcomes following intervention. Data was pooled from 20 studies, including 1134 hips with a weighted mean follow-up of 56 months. The percentage of hips undergoing THR averaged 38%. The time to THR had a weighted mean of 26 months after CD. CONCLUSION: Pooled results from 1134 hips and of these nearly 80% with early stage of osteonecrosis, showed that approximately 38% of patients underwent a total hip replacement at an average of 26 months following core decompression without augmentation.

Advanced rehabilitation technology in orthopaedics-a narrative review.

INTRODUCTION: As the demand for rehabilitation in orthopaedics increases, so too has the development in advanced rehabilitation technology. However, to date, there are no review papers outlining the broad scope of advanced rehabilitation technology used within the orthopaedic population. The aim of this study is to identify, describe and summarise the evidence for efficacy for all advanced rehabilitation technologies applicable to orthopaedic practice. METHODS: The relevant literature describing the use of advanced rehabilitation technology in orthopaedics was identified from appropriate electronic databases (PubMed and EMBASE) and a narrative review undertaken. RESULTS: Advanced rehabilitation technologies were classified into two groups: hospital-based and home-based rehabilitation. In the hospital-based technology group, we describe the use of continuous passive motion and robotic devices (after spinal cord injury) and their effect on improving clinical outcomes. We also report on the use of electromagnetic sensor technology for measuring kinematics of upper and lower limbs during rehabilitation. In the home-based technology group, we describe the use of inertial sensors, smartphones, software applications and commercial game hardware that are relatively inexpensive, user-friendly and widely available. We outline the evidence for videoconferencing for promoting knowledge and motivation for rehabilitation as well as the emerging role of virtual reality. CONCLUSIONS: The use of advanced rehabilitation technology in orthopaedics is promising and evidence for its efficacy is generally supportive.

Globalization of national surgical, obstetric and anesthesia plans: the critical link between health policy and action in global surgery.

Efforts from the developed world to improve surgical, anesthesia and obstetric care in low- and middle-income countries have evolved from a primarily volunteer mission trip model to a sustainable health system strengthening approach as private and public stakeholders recognize the enormous health toll and financial burden of surgical disease. The National Surgical, Obstetric and Anesthesia Plan (NSOAP) has been developed as a policy strategy for countries to address, in part, the health burden of diseases amenable to surgical care, but these plans have not developed in isolation. The NSOAP has become a phenomenon of globalization as a broad range of partners - individuals and institutions - help in both NSOAP formulation, implementation and financing. As the nexus between policy and action in the field of global surgery, the NSOAP reflects a special commitment by state actors to make progress on global goals such as Universal Health Coverage and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This requires a continued global commitment involving genuine partnerships that embrace the collective strengths of both national and global actors to deliver sustained, safe and affordable high-quality surgical care for all poor, rural and marginalized people.

Treatment strategies for ischiofemoral impingement: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: There has been relatively little information about the treatment for ischiofemoral impingement (IFI) because of its rarity as well as the uncertainty of diagnosis. The aim of this study was to provide the reader with the available treatment strategies and their related outcomes for IFI based on the best available evidence, whilst highlighting classically accepted ways of treatment as well as relatively new surgical and non-surgical techniques. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature from Medline, Embase, AMED, Cochrane and Google Scholar was undertaken since inception to December 2017 following the PRISMA guidelines. Clinical outcome studies, prospective/retrospective case series and case reports that described the treatment outcome for IFI were included. Animal or cadaveric studies, trial protocols, diagnostic studies without any description of treatments, technical notes without any results, and review articles were excluded. RESULTS: This systematic review found 17 relevant papers. No comparative studies were included in the final records for qualitative assessment, which means all the studies were case series and case reports. Eight studies (47.1%) utilised non-surgical treatment including injection and prolotherapy, followed by endoscopic surgery (5 studies, 29.4%) then open surgery (4 studies, 23.5%). Mean age of the participants was 41 years (11-72 years). The mean follow-up was 8.4 months distributed from 2 weeks to 2.3 years. No complications or adverse effects were found from the systematic review. CONCLUSION: Several treatment strategies have been reported for IFI, and most of them have good short- to medium-term outcomes with a low rate of complications. However, there are no comparative studies to assess the superiority of one technique over another, thus further research with randomised controlled trials is required in this arena. This study explores the wide variety and categories of different treatments used for IFI to guide physicians and shed light on what can be done for this challenging cohort of patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Why are patients dissatisfied following a total knee replacement? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Although total knee replacement (TKR) is an effective intervention for end-stage arthritis of the knee, a significant number of patients remain dissatisfied following this procedure. Our aim was to identify and assess the factors affecting patient satisfaction following a TKR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, two reviewers searched the online databases for literature describing factors affecting patient satisfaction following a TKR. The research question and eligibility criteria were established a priori. Any clinical outcome study that described factors relating to overall satisfaction after primary TKR was included. Quality assessment for the included studies was performed by two accredited orthopaedic surgeons experienced in clinical research. RESULTS: The systematic review identified 181 relevant articles in total. A history of mental health problems was the most frequently reported factor affecting patient satisfaction (13 reportings). When the results of the quality assessment were taken into consideration, a negative history of mental health problems, use of a mobile-bearing insert, patellar resurfacing, severe pre-operative radiological degenerative change, negative history of low back pain, no/less post-operative pain, good post-operative physical function and pre-operative expectations being met were considered to be important factors leading to better patient satisfaction following a TKR. CONCLUSION: Surgeons performing a TKR should take these factors into consideration prior to deciding whether a patient is suitable for a TKR. Secondarily, a detailed explanation of these factors should form part of the process of informed consent to achieve better patient satisfaction following TKR. There is a great need for a unified approach to assessing satisfaction following a TKR and also the time at which satisfaction is assessed.

The link between the West African Ebola outbreak and health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: An Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014. The health systems in place in the three countries lacked the infrastructure and the preparation to respond to the outbreak quickly and the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern on August 8 2014. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of health systems' organisation and performance on the West African Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and lessons learned. The WHO health system building blocks were used to evaluate the performance of the health systems in these countries. METHODS: A systematic review of articles published from inception until July 2015 was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Global Health, and the Cochrane library were searched for relevant literature. Grey literature was also searched through Google Scholar and Scopus. Articles were exported and selected based on a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was then extracted into a spreadsheet and a descriptive analysis was performed. Each study was critically appraised using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. The review was supplemented with expert interviews where participants were identified from reference lists and using the snowball method. FINDINGS: Thirteen articles were included in the study and six experts from different organisations were interviewed. Findings were analysed based on the WHO health system building blocks. Shortage of health workforce had an important effect on the control of Ebola but also suffered the most from the outbreak. This was followed by information and research, medical products and technologies, health financing and leadership and governance. Poor surveillance and lack of proper communication also contributed to the outbreak. Lack of available funds jeopardised payments and purchase of essential resources and medicines. Leadership and governance had least findings but an overarching consensus that they would have helped prompt response, adequate coordination and management of resources. CONCLUSION: Ensuring an adequate and efficient health workforce is of the utmost importance to ensure a strong health system and a quick response to new outbreaks. Adequate service delivery results from a collective success of the other blocks. Health financing and its management is crucial to ensure availability of medical products, fund payments to staff and purchase necessary equipment. However, leadership and governance needs to be rigorously explored on their main defects to control the outbreak.

Ranking Decision-Making Criteria for Early Adoption of Innovative Surgical Technologies.

Importance: There is no decision-making framework in the early-adoption stage of novel surgical technologies, putting the quality of health care and resource allocation of the health care system at risk. Objective: To investigate relevant weighted criteria that decision-makers may use to make an informed decision for the early adoption of innovative surgical technologies. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multi-institutional decision analytical modeling study used a mixed-methods multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and had 2 phases. First, a panel of 12 experts validated decision criteria in the literature and identified additional criteria. Second, 33 Canadian experts prioritized the main criteria (domains) using the composition pairwise-comparison weight-elicitation method (analytical hierarchy process model) and ranked their subcriteria using the direct-ranking elicitation method (Likert scale). Data were analyzed, and response consistency was estimated using the consistency ratio. Analysis of variance was used to assess for significant differences between expert responses. The MCDA was conducted at McGill University between 2021 and 2023. Data were collected nationally by inviting experts in Canada. Main Outcome and Measure: Criteria domain weights and subcriteria rankings. Priority vectors, which are priority scores analyzed and prioritized from expert responses, were used to rank criteria domains and subcriteria for decision-making on adopting new innovative surgical technologies. Results: A total of 45 experts (33 male [73.3%] and 12 female [26.7%]) were invited with different levels of education (22 experts with MD or equivalent, 13 experts with master's degree, and 12 experts with PhD degree) and years of experience (4 experts with <10, 12 experts with 11-20, 18 experts with 21-30, and 11 experts with >30 years). Surgeon experts (23 individuals) were from all surgical disciplines, and nonsurgeon experts (22 individuals) were administrative officers in surgical device procurement, health technology assessment experts, and hospital directors. A total of 7 domains and 44 subcriteria were identified. The MCDA model found that clinical outcomes had the highest priority vector, at 0.429, followed by patients and public relevance (0.135). Hospital-specific criteria (priority vector, 0.099), technology-specific criteria (priority vector, 0.092), and physician-specific criteria (priority vector, 0.087) were the next most highly ranked. The lowest priority vectors were for economic criteria, at 0.083, and finally policies and procedures, at 0.075. There was consensus in the responses (consistency ratio = 0.006), and there were no statistically significant differences between expert responses. Conclusions and relevance: This study weighted priority criteria domains in importance and established ranked subcriteria for decision-making of early adoption of surgical technologies. Putting these criteria into a framework may help surgeons and decision-makers make informed decisions for the early adoption of new surgical technologies.

Surgical margin assessment of bone tumours: A systematic review of current and emerging technologies.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant tumour of the bone. Complete surgical excision is critical to achieve optimal outcomes and lower recurrence rates. However, accurate assessment of tumour margins remains a challenge and multiple technologies are employed for this purpose. The aim of this study is to highlight current and emerging technologies and their efficacy in detecting clear bone margins intraoperatively, through a systematic review of the literature. The following databases were searched using the OVID platform: Medline, Embase, Global Health and Google Scholar. Studies were screened using predetermined eligibility criteria. Data was extracted based on study and patient characteristics, modes of detection, and commercial availability, followed by quality assessment. A total of 17 studies were included. The primary diagnosis varied, with osteosarcoma being reported by 9 studies. Three studies reported relapse, ranging between 17.6%-48%. Twelve studies reported non-invasive imaging as the mode of detection used, while 4 studies reported the use of frozen section. MRI and CT were found to have an accuracy of up to 93 %. Raman spectroscopy was reported to have an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 69%, 58.8% and 83.3% respectively. CT had a sensitivity and specificity up to 83% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, there seems to be high potential for the use of multimodal technologies to increase the accuracy of intraoperative margin assessment. Although imaging modalities possess a fair level of accuracy, they carry the risk of radiation exposure, are expensive, and cannot be used in-situ. Future clinical trials are needed to test the effectiveness of these technologies to measure the diagnostic accuracy and overall patient survival.

Access to safe, timely and affordable surgical, anaesthesia and obstetric care in Pakistan: a 16-year scoping review.

Background: Very little is known about the state of surgical, anaesthesia and obstetric care in Pakistan. Aims: This study aimed to assess the literature available on surgical, anaesthesia and obstetric care in Pakistan to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this care based on the domains of the framework of national surgical obstetric anaesthesia plans, namely: infrastructure, workforce, service delivery, information management, governance and service delivery. Methods: Relevant studies in English published between 2003 and 2018 were identified by searching electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus. Searches of the grey literature were also done for documents of various organizations. Thematic content analysis was conducted to collate, summarize and analyse the data. Results: A total of 2347 studies were identified and screened, of which 57 articles met the inclusion criteria. While national-level surveys, reviews and policy documents provided an understanding of the existing surgical, anaesthesia and obstetric care services in the country, most of the studies were limited in their scope and therefore were not representative of the situation at the national level. In terms of surgical, anaesthesia and obstetric care, the health care infrastructure, availability of services, workforce, financial protection, information management and governance frameworks have failed to develop at the same pace as the needs of the ever-growing population in Pakistan. Conclusions: Our findings can be used to guide future research activities as part of efforts to strengthen the surgical system in Pakistan. Recent government initiatives hold promise for future improvement in access to surgical care.

What are the outcomes of core decompression in patients with avascular necrosis? Protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Core decompression is a hip preserving surgical procedure that is used to treat avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head. The eventual clinical and radiological outcome following this procedure is varied in literature. Also, the time to a total hip replacement (THR) from the index procedure and the percentage of patients subsequently undergoing a THR is controversial. Furthermore, there are multiple surgical methods along with multiple augmentation techniques and various classification and staging systems described. The purpose of this systematic review, therefore, is to analyse the outcomes following decompression only, excluding any augmentation techniques for non-traumatic AVN of the femoral head. Methods: This protocol is being developed in line with the PRISMA-P guidelines. The search strategy includes articles from Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, CINHAL and Cochrane library. The review and screening will be done by two independent reviewers. Review articles, editorials and correspondences will be excluded. Articles including patients with sickle cell disease and with core decompression where augmentation is used will be excluded. The risk of bias and quality of articles will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for the different study designs included. Discussion: This study will be a comprehensive review on all published articles having patients with AVN of the femoral head and undergoing core decompression surgery only. The systematic review will then define the outcomes of the core decompression surgery based on clinical and radiological outcomes. Each outcome will include the different stages within it and finally, the total mean time to THR will be calculated. This will then be followed by assessing the cumulative confidence in evidence from all the data collected using the GRADE tool.   Registration: This systematic review is registered in the International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PROSPERO) under the registration number:  CRD42018100596.

Protecting healthcare workers from COVID-19: learning from variation in practice and policy identified through a global cross-sectional survey.

AIMS: The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented burden on global healthcare systems, and existing infrastructures must adapt and evolve to meet the challenge. With health systems reliant on the health of their workforce, the importance of protection against disease transmission in healthcare workers (HCWs) is clear. This study collated responses from several countries, provided by clinicians familiar with practice in each location, to identify areas of best practice and policy so as to build consensus of those measures that might reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to HCWs at work. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was designed with ten open and closed questions and sent to a representative sample. The sample was selected on a convenience basis of 27 senior surgeons, members of an international surgical society, who were all frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist. RESULTS: Responses were received by all 27 surgeons from 22 countries across six continents. A number of the study respondents reported COVID-19-related infection and mortality in HCWs in their countries. Differing areas of practice and policy were identified and organized into themes including the specification of units receiving COVID-19 patients, availability and usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), other measures to reduce staff exposure, and communicating with and supporting HCWs. Areas more specific to surgery also identified some variation in practice and policy in relation to visitors to the hospital, the outpatient department, and in the operating room for both non-urgent and emergency care. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 presents a disproportionate risk to HCWs, potentially resulting in a diminished health system capacity, and consequently an impairment to population health. Implementation of these recommendations at an international level could provide a framework to reduce this burden.

Safety and efficiency of gasless laparoscopy: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Gasless laparoscopy, developed in the early 1990s, was a means to minimize the clinical and financial challenges of pneumoperitoneum and general anaesthesia. It has been used in a variety of procedures such as in general surgery and gynecology procedures including diagnostic laparoscopy. There has been increasing evidence of the utility of gasless laparoscopy in resource limited settings where diagnostic imaging is not available. In addition, it may help save costs for hospitals. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the available evidence surrounding the safety and efficiency of gasless laparoscopy compared to conventional laparoscopy and open techniques and to analyze the benefits that gasless laparoscopy has for low resource setting hospitals. METHODS: This protocol is developed by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis-Protocols (PRISMA-P). The PRISMA statement guidelines and flowchart will be used to conduct the study itself. MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Global Index Medicus (WHO) will be searched and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials database. The articles that will be found will be pooled into Covidence article manager software where all the records will be screened for eligibility and duplicates removed. A data extraction spreadsheet will be developed based on variables of interest set a priori. Reviewers will then screen all included studies based on the eligibility criteria. The GRADE tool will be used to assess the quality of the studies and the risk of bias in all the studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk assessment tool. The RoB II tool will assed the risk of bias in randomized control studies and the ROBINS I will be used for the non-randomized studies. DISCUSSION: This study will be a comprehensive review on all published articles found using this search strategy on the safety and efficiency of the use of gasless laparoscopy. The systematic review outcomes will include safety and efficiency of gasless laparoscopy compared to the use of conventional laparoscopy or laparotomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study has been registered in PROSPERO under registration number: CRD42017078338.

Global health, global surgery and mass casualties: II. Mass casualty centre resources, equipment and implementation.

Trauma/stroke centres optimise acute 24/7/365 surgical/critical care in high-income countries (HICs). Concepts from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) offer additional cost-effective healthcare strategies for limited-resource settings when combined with the trauma/stroke centre concept. Mass casualty centres (MCCs) integrate resources for both routine and emergency care-from prevention to acute care to rehabilitation. Integration of the various healthcare systems-governmental, non-governmental and military-is key to avoid both duplication and gaps. With input from LMIC and HIC personnel of various backgrounds-trauma and subspecialty surgery, nursing, information technology and telemedicine, and healthcare administration-creative solutions to the challenges of expanding care (both daily and disaster) are developed. MCCs are evolving initially in Chile and Pakistan. Technologies for cost-effective healthcare in LMICs include smartphone apps (enhance prehospital care) to electronic data collection and analysis (quality improvement) to telemedicine and drones/robots (support of remote regions and resource optimisation during both daily care and disasters) to resilient, mobile medical/surgical facilities (eg, battery-operated CT scanners). The co-ordination of personnel (within LMICs, and between LMICs and HICs) and the integration of cost-effective advanced technology are features of MCCs. Providing quality, cost-effective care 24/7/365 to the 5 billion who lack it presently makes MCCs an appealing means to achieve the healthcare-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Global health, global surgery and mass casualties. I. Rationale for integrated mass casualty centres.

It has been well-documented recently that 5 billion people globally lack surgical care. Also well-documented is the need to improve mass casualty disaster response. Many of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030-healthcare and economic milestones-require significant improvement in global surgical care, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. Trauma/stroke centres evolved in high-income countries with evidence that 24/7/365 surgical and critical care markedly improved morbidity and mortality for trauma and stroke and for cardiovascular events, difficult childbirth, acute abdomen. Duplication of emergency services, especially civilian and military, often results in suboptimal, expensive care. By combining all healthcare resources within the ongoing healthcare system, more efficient care for both individual emergencies and mass casualty situations can be achieved. We describe progress in establishing mass casualty centres in Chile and Pakistan. In both locations, planning among the stakeholders (primarily civilian and military) indicates the feasibility of such integrated surgical and emergency care. We also review other programmes and initiatives to provide integrated mass casualty disaster response. Integrated mass casualty centres are a feasible means to improve both day-to-day surgical care and mass casualty disaster response. The humanitarian aspect of mass casualty disasters facilitates integration among stakeholders-from local healthcare systems to military resources to international healthcare organisations. The benefits of mass casualty centres-both healthcare and economic-can facilitate achieving the 2030 UN SDGs.

Target prices for mass production of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for global cancer treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To calculate sustainable generic prices for 4 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). BACKGROUND: TKIs have proven survival benefits in the treatment of several cancers, including chronic myeloid leukaemia, breast, liver, renal and lung cancer. However, current high prices are a barrier to treatment. Mass production of low-cost generic antiretrovirals has led to over 13 million people being on HIV/AIDS treatment worldwide. This analysis estimates target prices for generic TKIs, assuming similar methods of mass production. METHODS: Four TKIs with patent expiry dates in the next 5 years were selected for analysis: imatinib, erlotinib, lapatinib and sorafenib. Chemistry, dosing, published data on per-kilogram pricing for commercial transactions of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), and quotes from manufacturers were used to estimate costs of production. Analysis included costs of excipients, formulation, packaging, shipping and a 50% profit margin. Target prices were compared with current prices. Global numbers of patients eligible for treatment with each TKI were estimated. RESULTS: API costs per kg were $347-$746 for imatinib, $2470 for erlotinib, $4671 for lapatinib, and $3000 for sorafenib. Basing on annual dose requirements, costs of formulation/packaging and a 50% profit margin, target generic prices per person-year were $128-$216 for imatinib, $240 for erlotinib, $1450 for sorafenib, and $4020 for lapatinib. Over 1 million people would be newly eligible to start treatment with these TKIs annually. CONCLUSIONS: Mass generic production of several TKIs could achieve treatment prices in the range of $128-$4020 per person-year, versus current US prices of $75161-$139,138. Generic TKIs could allow significant savings and scaling-up of treatment globally, for over 1 million eligible patients.