Measurements of Impoverishing and Catastrophic Surgical Health Expenditures in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Reduction Interventions in the Last 30 years, a Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 33 million people suffer catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) from surgery and/or anesthesia costs. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate catastrophic and impoverishing expenditure associated with surgery and anesthesia in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We performed a systematic review of all studies from 1990 to 2021 that reported CHE in LMICs for treatment of a condition requiring surgical intervention, including cesarean section, trauma care, and other surgery. RESULTS: 77 studies met inclusion criteria. Tertiary facilities (23.4%) were the most frequently studied facility type. Only 11.7% of studies were conducted in exclusively rural health-care settings. Almost 60% of studies were retrospective in nature. The cost of procedures ranged widely, from $26 USD for a cesarean section in Mauritania in 2020 to $74,420 for a pancreaticoduodenectomy in India in 2018. GDP per capita had a narrower range from $315 USD in Malawi in 2019 to $9955 USD in Malaysia in 2015 (Median = $1605.50, interquartile range = $1208.74). 35 studies discussed interventions to reduce cost and catastrophic expenditure. Four of those studies stated that their intervention was not successful, 18 had an unknown or equivocal effect on cost and CHE, and 13 concluded that their intervention did help reduce cost and CHE. CONCLUSIONS: CHE from surgery is a worldwide problem that most acutely affects vulnerable patients in LMICs. Existing efforts are insufficient to meet the true need for affordable surgical care unless assistance for ancillary costs is given to patients and families most at risk from CHE.

Pediatric brain tumors in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Brain tumors are a global problem, leading to higher cancer-related morbidity and mortality rates in children. Despite the progressive though slow advances in neuro-oncology care, research, and diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the epidemiological landscape of pediatric brain tumors (PBTs) remains underestimated. This study aimed to systematically analyze the distribution of PBT types in SSA. METHODS: Ovid Medline, Global Index Medicus, African Journals Online, Google Scholar, and faculty of medicine libraries were searched for literature on PBTs in SSA published before October 29, 2022. A proportional meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: Forty-nine studies, involving 2360 children, met the inclusion criteria for review; only 20 (40.82%) were included in the quantitative analysis. South Africa and Nigeria were the countries with the most abundant data. Glioma not otherwise specified (NOS) was the common PBT in the 4 SSA regions combined. However, medulloblastoma was more commonly reported in Southern SSA (p = 0.01) than in other regions. The prevalence and the overall pooled proportion of the 3 common PBTs was estimated at 46.27% and 0.41 (95% CI 0.32-0.50, 95% prediction interval [PI] 0.11-0.79), 25.34% and 0.18 (95% CI 0.14-0.21, 95% PI 0.06-0.40), and 12.67% and 0.12 (95% CI 0.09-0.15, 95% PI 0.04-0.29) for glioma NOS, medulloblastoma, and craniopharyngioma, respectively. Sample size moderated the estimated proportion of glioma NOS (p = 0.02). The highest proportion of craniopharyngiomas was in Western SSA, and medulloblastoma and glioma NOS in Central SSA. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide insight into the trends of PBT types and the proportion of the top 3 most common tumors across SSA. Although statistical conclusions are difficult due to the inconsistency in the data, the study identifies critical areas for policy development and collaborations that can facilitate improved outcomes in PBTs in SSA. More accurate epidemiological studies of these tumors are needed to better understand the burden of the disease and the geographic variation in their distribution, and to raise awareness in their subsequent management.

Global Neurosurgery at the 76th World Health Assembly (2023): First Neurosurgery-Driven Resolution Calls for Micronutrient Fortification to Prevent Spina Bifida.

Since 2018, a neurosurgery delegation has been actively engaged and consistently present at the World Health Assembly. Recognizing the growing impact of neurosurgical diseases, the neurosurgery delegation participated in the 76th World Health Assembly in May 2023, advocating for timely, safe, and affordable global neurosurgical care. The delegation focused on forging new collaborations, strengthening the World Health Organization-World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies official relations, and actively supporting resolutions that impact the neurosurgical patients. However, there is a long advocacy journey ahead to address unmet neurosurgical needs. Patient-centered advocacy is an inherent task of our profession and the essence of the Global Neurosurgery Bogota Declaration of 2016. The highlight of the 76th World Health Assembly was the adoption of the first neurosurgery-driven resolution calling for micronutrient fortification to prevent spina bifida and other micronutrient deficiencies. For the last 4 years, the Global Alliance for Prevention of Spina Bifida, a group spearheaded by neurosurgeons, advocated for spina bifida prevention. This Alliance collaborated with many stakeholders, notably, the Colombian government to promote the resolution: "Accelerating efforts for preventing micronutrient deficiencies and their consequences, including spina bifida and other neural tube defects, through safe and effective food fortification." This is a proud milestone for the neurosurgical profession. There are many strategies available for neurosurgeons, when working together with elected leaders, other stakeholders, and allied professionals, to implement initiatives that can prevent future cases of spina bifida and other neurological disorders and reduce the burden of neurosurgical disease.

The Natural History and Treatment of Meningiomas: An Update.

Meningiomas are the most frequent nonmalignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). Despite their benign nature and slow-growing pattern, if not diagnosed early, these tumors may reach relatively large sizes causing significant morbidity and mortality. Some variants are located in hard-to-access locations, compressing critical neurovascular structures, and making the surgical management even more challenging. Although most meningiomas have a good long-term prognosis after treatment, there are still controversies over their management in a subset of cases. While surgery is the first-line treatment, the use of fractionated radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery is indicated for residual or recurrent tumors, small lesions, and tumors in challenging locations. Advances in molecular genetics and ongoing clinical trial results have recently helped both to refine the diagnosis and provide hope for effective biomolecular target-based medications for treatment. This article reviews the natural history and current therapeutic options for CNS meningiomas.

Burden, risk factors, neurosurgical evacuation outcomes, and predictors of mortality among traumatic brain injury patients with expansive intracranial hematomas in Uganda: a mixed methods study design.

BACKGROUND: Expansive intracranial hematomas (EIH) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) continue to be a public health problem in Uganda. Data is limited regarding the neurosurgical outcomes of TBI patients. This study investigated the neurosurgical outcomes and associated risk factors of EIH among TBI patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH). METHODS: A total of 324 subjects were enrolled using a prospective cohort study. Socio-demographic, risk factors and complications were collected using a study questionnaire. Study participants were followed up for 180 days. Univariate, multivariable, Cox regression analyses, Kaplan Meir survival curves, and log rank tests were sequentially conducted. P-values of < 0.05 at 95% Confidence interval (CI) were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 324 patients with intracranial hematomas, 80.6% were male. The mean age of the study participants was 37.5 ± 17.4 years. Prevalence of EIH was 59.3% (0.59 (95% CI: 0.54 to 0.65)). Participants who were aged 39 years and above; PR = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.20 to 1.97; P = 0.001), and those who smoke PR = 1.21 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.47; P = 0.048), and presence of swirl sign PR = 2.26 (95% CI: 1.29 to 3.95; P = 0.004) were found to be at higher risk for EIH. Kaplan Meier survival curve indicated that mortality at the 16-month follow-up was 53.4% (95% CI: 28.1 to 85.0). Multivariate Cox regression indicated that the predictors of mortality were old age, MAP above 95 mmHg, low GCS, complications such as infection, spasticity, wound dehiscence, CSF leaks, having GOS < 3, QoLIBRI < 50, SDH, contusion, and EIH. CONCLUSION: EIH is common in Uganda following RTA with an occurrence of 59.3% and a 16-month higher mortality rate. An increased age above 39 years, smoking, having severe systemic disease, and the presence of swirl sign are independent risk factors. Old age, MAP above 95 mmHg, low GCS, complications such as infection, spasticity, wound dehiscence, CSF leaks, having a GOS < 3, QoLIBRI < 50, ASDH, and contusion are predictors of mortality. These findings imply that all patients with intracranial hematomas (IH) need to be monitored closely and a repeat CT scan to be done within a specific period following their initial CT scan. We recommend the development of a protocol for specific surgical and medical interventions that can be implemented for patients at moderate and severe risk for EIH.

Adult brain tumors in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan African (SSA) neuro-oncologists report high workloads and challenges in delivering evidence-based care; however, these reports contrast with modeled estimates of adult neuro-oncology disease burden in the region. This scoping review aimed to better understand the reasons for this discrepancy by mapping out the SSA adult brain tumor landscape based on published literature. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted in OVID Medline, Global Index Medicus, African Journals Online, Google Scholar, and faculty of medicine libraries from database inception to May 31, 2021. The results were summarized quantitatively and narratively. English and French peer-reviewed articles were included (title, abstract, and full text). RESULTS: Of the 819 records identified, 119 articles by 24 SSA countries (42.9%) were included in the final review. Odeku published the first article in 1967, and nine of the ten most prolific years were in the 21st century. The greatest contributing region was Western Africa (n = 58, 48.7%) led by Nigeria (n = 37, 31.1%). Central Africa had fewer articles published later than the other SSA regions (P = .61). Most studies were nonrandomized (n = 75, 63.0%) and meningiomas (n = 50, 42.0%) were the most common brain tumors reported. Less than 30 studies reported on adjuvant treatment or patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Most publications were hospital-based, and there was significant heterogeneity in the quality of evidence and reporting. This study highlights the need for rapid and sustainable investments and brain tumor research capacity in SSA.

Evaluating the Usefulness of YouTube as a Source of Patient Information for Neurosurgical Care in Africa: A Study Protocol.

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of the public rely on the internet for their health information, and social media has emerged as the principal information source. YouTube is the world's largest and most popular video library, and it has emerged as a primary health information source because it offers animated and interactive content. However, little is known of its usefulness of neurosurgery videos to African YouTube users. We aim with this study to evaluate the usefulness of YouTube as a source of patient information for neurosurgical care in Africa. METHODOLOGY: This observational study will be conducted using YouTube. A search will be carried out to identify neurosurgery videos suggested to African YouTube viewers from inception to September 2021. An internet browser (Google Chrome, Google Inc., CA, USA) with its cache cleared will be used to execute the search. The default YouTube search setting of "relevance" will be used to replicate what a search attempt performed by a patient would be. The first 50 results from each keyword search will be registered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft, WA, USA). The primary outcome measure is the reliability of the videos. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 26 (IBM, WA, USA). Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals will be calculated. The statistically significant level will be set at 0.05. Also, a linear regression analysis will be performed to examine the effects of independent variables on continuous dependent variables. DISSEMINATION: The study findings will be published in an academic peer-reviewed journal, and the abstract will be presented at an international conference. English and French visual and video abstracts of the methods and key findings will be designed and disseminated widely on social media. HIGHLIGHTS: A significant proportion of the public rely on the internet and social media for health information.YouTube has emerged as the world's largest video library, and has emerged as a primary health information source.There are few safeguards to avoid dissemination of false or biased information on the platform this could negatively influence health seeking behaviorWe aim to evaluate the usefulness of YouTube as a source of patient information for neurosurgical care in Africa.The findings of this study will help evaluate the volume and quantity of African neurosurgical video content and identify best practices.

Systematic analysis of authorship demographics in global surgery.

BACKGROUND: Global surgery has recently gained prominence as an academic discipline within global health. Authorship inequity has been a consistent feature of global health publications, with over-representation of authors from high-income countries (HICs), and disenfranchisement of researchers from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this study, we investigated authorship demographics within recently published global surgery literature. METHODS: We performed a systematic analysis of author characteristics, including gender, seniority and institutional affiliation, for global surgery studies published between 2016 and 2020 and indexed in the PubMed database. We compared the distribution of author gender and seniority across studies related to different topics; between authors affiliated with HICs and LMICs; and across studies with different authorship networks. RESULTS: 1240 articles were included for analysis. Most authors were male (60%), affiliated only with HICs (51%) and of high seniority (55% were fully qualified specialist or generalist clinicians, Principal Investigators, or in senior leadership or management roles). The proportion of male authors increased with increasing seniority for last and middle authors. Studies related to Obstetrics and Gynaecology had similar numbers of male and female authors, whereas there were more male authors in studies related to surgery (69% male) and Anaesthesia and Critical care (65% male). Compared with HIC authors, LMIC authors had a lower proportion of female authors at every seniority grade. This gender gap among LMIC middle authors was reduced in studies where all authors were affiliated only with LMICs. CONCLUSION: Authorship disparities are evident within global surgery academia. Remedial actions to address the lack of authorship opportunities for LMIC authors and female authors are required.

Public Awareness, Knowledge of Availability, And Willingness to Use Neurosurgical Care Services in Africa: A Cross-Sectional E-Survey Protocol.

BACKGROUND: Barriers to care cause delays in seeking, reaching, and getting care. These delays affect low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 9 out of 10 LMIC inhabitants have no access to basic surgical care. Knowledge of healthcare utilization behavior within underserved communities is useful when developing and implementing health policies. Little is known about the neurosurgical health-seeking behavior of African adults. This study evaluates public awareness, knowledge of availability, and readiness for neurosurgical care services amongst African adults. METHODOLOGY: The cross-sectional study will be run using a self-administered e-survey hosted on Google Forms (Google, CA, USA) disseminated from 10th May 2021 to 10th June 2021. The Questionnaire would be in two languages, English and French. The survey will contain closed-ended, open-ended, and Likert Scale questions. The structured questionnaire will have four sections with 42 questions; Sociodemographic characteristics, Definition of neurosurgery care, Knowledge of neurosurgical diseases, practice and availability, and Common beliefs about neurosurgical care. All consenting adult Africans will be eligible. A minimum sample size of 424 will be used. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 26 (IBM, WA, USA). Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals, Chi-Square test, and ANOVA will be used to test for associations between independent and dependent variables. A P-value <0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Also, a multinomial regression model will be used. DISSEMINATION: The study findings will be published in an academic peer-reviewed journal, and the abstract will be presented at an international conference. HIGHLIGHTS: The burden of neurosurgical diseases is enormous in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa.Unfortunately, most neurosurgical needs in Africa are unmet because of delays in seeking, reaching, and getting care.Most efforts aimed at reducing barriers to care have focused on improving the neurosurgical workforce density and infrastructure. Little or no efforts have been directed towards understanding or reducing the barriers to seeking care.We aimed to understand public awareness, willingness to use, and knowledge of the availability of neurosurgical care in Africa.The study findings can inform effective strategies that promote the utilization of neurosurgical services and patient education in Africa.

Systematic review and bibliometric analysis of African anesthesia and critical care medicine research part II: a scientometric analysis of the 116 most cited articles.

BACKGROUND: Scientometrics is used to assess the impact of research in several health fields, including Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine. The purpose of this study was to identify contributors to highly-cited African Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine research. METHODS: The authors searched Web of Science from inception to May 4, 2020, for articles on and about Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine in Africa with ≥2 citations. Quantitative (H-index) and qualitative (descriptive analysis of yearly publications and interpretation of document, co-authorship, author country, and keyword) bibliometric analyses were done. RESULTS: The search strategy returned 116 articles with a median of 5 (IQR: 3-12) citations on Web of Science. Articles were published in Anesthesia and Analgesia (18, 15.5%), World Journal of Surgery (13, 11.2%), and South African Medical Journal (8, 6.9%). Most (74, 63.8%) articles were published on or after 2013. Seven authors had more than 1 article in the top 116 articles: Epiu I (3, 2.6%), Elobu AE (2, 1.7%), Fenton PM (2, 1.7%), Kibwana S (2, 1.7%), Rukewe A (2, 1.7%), Sama HD (2, 1.7%), and Zoumenou E (2, 1.7%). The bibliometric coupling analysis of documents highlighted 10 clusters, with the most significant nodes being Biccard BM, 2018; Baker T, 2013; Llewellyn RL, 2009; Nigussie S, 2014; and Aziato L, 2015. Dubowitz G (5) and Ozgediz D (4) had the highest H-indices among the authors referenced by the most-cited African Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine articles. The U.S.A., England, and Uganda had the strongest collaboration links among the articles, and most articles focused on perioperative care. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted trends in top-cited African articles and African and non-African academic institutions' contributions to these articles.

Systematic review and bibliometric analysis of African anesthesia and critical care medicine research part I: hierarchy of evidence and scholarly productivity.

BACKGROUND: Research is an essential component of Anesthesia, and the contributions of researchers and institutions can be appreciated from the analysis of scholarly outputs. Such analyses help identify major contributors and trends in publication. Little is known about the state of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine (A.C.C.M.) research in Africa. We aimed to describe African A.C.C.M. research's current landscape by determining its productivity per country and point towards possible ideas for improvement. METHODS: The authors searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) from inception to May 4, 2020, for articles on or about A.C.C.M. in Africa. Studies were selected based on their titles and abstracts. Rayyan software was later on used for data management in the review selection process. Then, the full-text of eligible articles were screened. Data were extracted, and the number of articles per physician anesthesia providers and provider density were calculated. Kruskal Wallis test and Spearman's correlation were used, and a P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 4690 articles, only 886 (18.9%) were included in the analysis. The articles were published between 1946 and 2020 in 278 target journals. 55 (6.2%) articles were published in the South African Journal of Surgery, 51 (5.8%) in Anesthesia and Analgesia, and 46 (5.2%) in Anaesthesia. 291 (32.8%) studies were cross-sectional. 195 (22.0%) first authors were from Nigeria, 118 (13.3%) from South Africa, and 88 (9.9%) from the U.S.A. Malawi (1.67), Togo (1.06), and Sierra Leone (1.00) had the highest number of articles per provider. Whereas Ethiopia (580.00), Nigeria (336.21), and Malawi (333.33) had the highest number of articles per provider density. CONCLUSION: We identified the most and least productive African countries in A.C.C.M. research and a low-quality hierarchy of evidence in these publications. Hence, the study's findings may aid in driving the A.C.C.M. research agenda and capacity building in Africa.