Building safe surgery knowledge and capacity in Cambodia: a mixed-methods evaluation of an innovative training and mentorship intervention.

BACKGROUND: Working in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Health, the Safe Surgery 2020 initiative (SS2020) supports the prioritization of surgery and mobilization of resources to target limited workforce capacity. An evaluation study was conducted to assess the impact of SS2020 on intervention hospitals in Cambodia. OBJECTIVE: To understand the impact of the SS2020 program on intervention hospitals in Cambodia by assessing the changes in key surgical performance indicators before and after the intervention, identifying key barriers and facilitators to adoption of learnings, and discovering lessons on the uptake and diffusion of this initiative in Cambodia and other similar contexts. METHODS: This study is a convergent mixed-methods evaluation of a one-year multicomponent SS2020 intervention. Surgical observations were conducted in 8 intervention hospitals at baseline and endline to evaluate pre and post adherence to 20 safety, teamwork, and communication items. Fifteen focus groups were conducted in all intervention sites at endline to assess key facilitators and barriers to positive impact. RESULTS: There was significant improvement in 19 of 20 indicators assessed during surgical observations. Among the highest performing indicators were safety items; among the lowest were communication items. Participants self-reported improved knowledge and positive behavior change after the intervention. Institutional change and direct patient impact were not widely reported. Most participants had favorable views of the mentorship model and were eager for the program to continue implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence that change in surgical ecosystems can be achieved on a short timeline with limited resources. The hub-and-spoke mentorship model can be successful in improving knowledge and changing behavior in surgical safety. Workforce development is important to improving surgical systems, but greater financial and human resources are needed. Ministry support in adopting, leading, and scaling is crucial to the continued success of safe surgery interventions in Cambodia.

Clear-cell variant of solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas: a case report and review of the literature

Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas is a rare neoplasm reported to have a favourable prognosis because of its slow-growing behaviour. Ignored and misdiagnosed in the past, SPN has recently been increasingly studied. Its clear cell variant creates challenges in distinction from other clear cell tumours in the pancreas. We report a 31-year-old Cambodian woman who presented with abdominal pain and a palpable epigastric mass. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a 5.2 cm well-demarcated tumour in the head of the pancreas, which was treated with Whipple procedure. Microscopically, the tumour showed an extensive solid growth pattern consisting of cells with abundant clear cytoplasm, and papillary areas containing cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm, indicating a clear-cell solid-papillary neoplasm. Perineural and duodenal wall invasion was present. The tumour cells were immunonegative for chromogranin-A and synaptophysin but positive for CD56, cyclin D1, CD10, vimentin, and progesterone receptor. They showed strong nuclear and cytoplasmic expression and reduced membranous expression of beta-catenin protein. In the pseudopapillary area, they showed nuclear E-cadherin localization and absence of membranous staining. The patient was well without local recurrence or metastasis at one year follow-up. Diffi culties are recognized in differentiating clear-cell SPN from “sugar” tumours, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, clear-cell variant of pancreatic endocrine neoplasm and ductal adenocarcinoma. When facing such diffi culties, nuclear and cytoplamic beta-catenin, nuclear E-cadherin expressions and absence of membranous E-cadherin staining are useful in differentiating clear-cell SPN from other clear cell tumours in the pancreas. Although a rare neoplasm, it is important to recognize this entity for appropriate management.