Racial disparities among patients on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the pre-Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Coronavirus Disease 2019 eras: A retrospective registry review.

Objectives: Although many studies have addressed such disparities caused by COVID-19, to our knowledge, no study has focused on the association of race on outcomes for patients with COVID-19 requiring venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. The goal of this study was to assess association of race on death and duration on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in both the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry and included adults (≥18 years) who required venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation between January 2019 and April 2021. We performed descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression. Our primary outcomes were death and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration. Results: A total of 7477 patients were included after excluding 340 patients (4.3%) who were missing race data. In the COVID-19 era, 1474 of 2777 COVID-19-positive patients (53.1%) died. Our regression model suggested somewhat of a protective effect on death for Black and multiple race patients. Additionally, a diagnosis of COVID-19 and patients in the COVID-19 era in general, irrespective of COVID-19 diagnosis, had higher odds of death. Hispanic patients had the longest average venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation run times. Conclusions: Our study using data from the international Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry provides updated data on patients supported with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras between 2019 and 2021 with a focus on race. Patients in the COVID-19 era group also had higher mortality compared with those in the pre-COVID-19 era even after being adjusted for COVID-19 diagnosis. Black and multiple races appeared somewhat protective in terms of death. Hispanic race was associated with longer venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration.

Practical and Ethical Guidelines for the Involvement of Trainees in Global Surgery: Consensus Statement and Recommendations from the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons Global Surgery Work Group.

BACKGROUND: The guidelines provided by US professional surgical organizations for involvement of trainees in global surgery are limited. The aim of this consensus statement is to provide surgical trainees with official recommendations from the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons Global Surgery Work Group (GSWG) regarding professional, practical, and ethical guidelines for participation in global surgery endeavors. STUDY DESIGN: A task force was created within the GSWG to review and define the scope of involvement of trainees in global surgery, and a consensus process was undertaken for the group at large to approve a set of proposed guidelines. RESULTS: The list of practical and ethical guidelines for the engagement of trainees in global surgery covering the themes of preparedness, reciprocity and collaboration, ethical considerations, and sustainability was approved with consensus from the GSWG. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus statement from the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons GSWG outlines the official recommendations for guidelines for involvement of trainees in global surgery, with an aim to support equitable, sustainable collaborations that center on improving access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care for the global community at large. Future processes seek to involve representation and perspectives from a larger body of low- to middle-income country surgical trainees.

Kansa talk: mapping cancer terminologies in Bagamoyo, Tanzania towards dignity-based practice.

This paper reports and examines the results of qualitative research on the use of local cancer terminology in urban Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Following recent calls to unify evidence and dignity-based practices in global health, this research locates local medical sociolinguistics as a key place of entry into creating epistemologically autonomous public health practices. We used semistructured ethnographic interviews to reveal both the contextual and broader patterns related to use of local cancer terminologies among residents of Dunda Ward in urban Bagamoyo. Our findings suggest that people in Bagamoyo employ diverse terms to describe and make meanings about cancer that do not neatly fit with biomedical paradigms. This research not only opens further investigation about how ordinary people speak and make sense of the emerging cancer epidemic in places like Tanzania, but also is a window into otherwise conceptualisations of 'intervention' onto people in formerly colonised regions to improve a health situation. We argue that adapting biomedical concepts into local sociolinguistic and knowledge structures is an essential task in creating dignity-based, evidence-informed practices in global health.

Patterns, procedures, and indications for pediatric surgery in a Tanzanian Refugee Camp: a 20-year experience.

Background: There are 103 million displaced people worldwide, 41% of whom are children. Data on the provision of surgery in humanitarian settings are limited. Even scarcer is literature on pediatric surgery performed in humanitarian settings, particularly protracted humanitarian settings. Methods: We reviewed patterns, procedures, and indications for pediatric surgery among children in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp using a 20-year retrospective dataset. Results: A total of 1221 pediatric surgical procedures were performed over the study period. Teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years were the most common age group undergoing surgery (n=991; 81%). A quarter of the procedures were performed on local Tanzanian children seeking care in the camp (n=301; 25%). The most common procedures performed were cesarean sections (n=858; 70%), herniorrhaphies (n=197; 16%), and exploratory laparotomies (n=55; 5%). Refugees were more likely to undergo exploratory laparotomy (n=47; 5%) than Tanzanian children (n=7; 2%; p=0.032). The most common indications for exploratory laparotomy were acute abdomen (n=24; 44%), intestinal obstruction (n=10; 18%), and peritonitis (n=9; 16%). Conclusions: There is a significant volume of basic pediatric general surgery performed in the Nyarugusu Camp. Services are used by both refugees and local Tanzanians. We hope this research will inspire further advocacy and research on pediatric surgical services in humanitarian settings worldwide and illuminate the need for including pediatric refugee surgery within the growing global surgery movement.

What Proportion of East African Refugees Report Musculoskeletal Problems? A Cross-sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of disability worldwide and disproportionally affect individuals in low-income and middle-income countries. There is a dearth of evidence on musculoskeletal problems among refugees, 74% of whom reside in low-income and middle-income countries. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) What proportion of refugees in Nyarugusu Camp, Kigoma, western Tanzania, are affected by musculoskeletal problems and what are the characteristics of those individuals? (2) What are the characteristics of these musculoskeletal problems, including their causes, location, and duration? (3) What forms of healthcare do those with musculoskeletal problems seek, including those for both musculoskeletal and nonmusculoskeletal problems? METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among refugees in Nyarugusu Camp, using the Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need tool. The Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need tool is a validated population-based survey tool developed for use in limited-resource settings that is intended to determine the prevalence of surgical disease in a community. It uses a cluster random sampling methodology with house-to-house data collection in the form of a verbal head-to-toe examination that is performed by a trained community healthcare worker. A total of 99% responded, and 3574 records were analyzed. The mean age of respondents was 23 ± 18 years, with under 18 as the most-represented age group (44% [1563]). A total of 57% (2026) of respondents were women, 79% (2802 of 3536) were generally healthy, and 92% (3297 of 3570) had visited a camp medical facility. Only records endorsing musculoskeletal problems (extremity or back) were included in this analysis. Using all refugees surveyed as our denominator and refugees who endorsed a musculoskeletal problem (extremity or back) as the numerator, we calculated the proportion of refugees who endorsed a musculoskeletal problem. We then analyzed the characteristics of those endorsing musculoskeletal problems, including their healthcare-seeking behavior, and the characteristics of the musculoskeletal problems themselves. RESULTS: Among 3574 refugees interviewed, 22% (769) reported musculoskeletal problems, with 17% (609) reporting extremity problems and 7% (266) reporting back problems. Among all people surveyed, 8% (290) reported current extremity problems while 5% (188) reported current back problems. Among those reporting musculoskeletal problems, respondents younger than 18 years were the most-represented age group (28% [169 of 609]) whereas respondents between 30 and 44 years of age were the most-represented age group for back problems (29% [76 of 266]). Wounds from an injury or trauma (24% [133 of 557]) and acquired disability (24% [133 of 557]) were the most-common causes of extremity problems, whereas acquired disability (53% [97 of 184]) followed by a wound not from injury or trauma (25% [45 of 184]) were the most common causes of back problems. Fifty percent (303) of those with extremity problems characterized it as disabling, whereas 76% (203) of those with back problems did. CONCLUSION: Over one of five refugees endorsed musculoskeletal problems, which are most often caused by acquired disease and injury. These musculoskeletal problems are often characterized as disabling, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment for problems. This warrants further research on care-seeking behavior in this setting, and emphasizes that investing in the spectrum of musculoskeletal health systems, including medical management and rehabilitation services, is critical to decreasing disability caused by musculoskeletal problems. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prognostic study.

[Principaux facteurs expliquant l'hésitation vaccinale contre la Covid-19 en Tanzanie]. / Key Drivers of Low Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake in Tanzania.

WHO defines vaccine hesitancy as delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services. It is a complex phenomenon that varies through time, place and vaccines. In this comment, we highlight the context-specific variation of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in Tanzania. We suggest Covid-19 hesitancy in Tanzania is influenced with high burden of infectious disease, poor testing capabilities and demographic characteristics.

"It's my life, not theirs!" Therapeutic itineraries and refugee reflections on referral health care in western Tanzania.

Globally, refugees number over 25 million. Yet, little attention has been paid to how refugees access referral health care in host countries. By referral, I mean the process by which a patient deemed too sick to be managed at a lower-level health facility is transferred to a higher-level facility with more resources to provide care. In this article, I provide reflections on referral health care from the perspective of refugees living in exile in Tanzania. Through qualitative methods of interviews, participant observation, and clinical record review, I trace how global refugee policy on referral health care manifests itself in the lives of refugees locally in a country like Tanzania that has strict policies and limitations on freedom of movement. In this space, refugees experience complex medical problems, many of which began prior to or during their flight to Tanzania. Many refugees indeed are approved to be referred to a Tanzanian hospital for further treatment. Others are denied care or pursue other therapeutic itineraries outside the formal system. But, all are subject to policies of Tanzania that restrict freedom of movement and almost all experience delays on several levels (e.g., waiting for a referral, waiting at the referral hospital, waiting for follow-up appointments). In the end, refugees in this context emerge not simply as passive beings upon which biopower is enacted, but also as active agents, sometimes circumventing a system of power in their pursuit of their right to health, all in the context of strict policy that seeks to enforce state security over one's right to health. In the process, refugee experiences with referral health care become a window into the larger politics of refugee hosting in Tanzania in the present day.

Access to Health Services Among Forced Migrants in Tanzania: A Cluster Randomized Cross Sectional Study of 3560 Congolese and Burundian Refugees.

Despite significant advances in the understanding of the global burden of surgical disease, limited research focuses on access to health and surgical services among refugees, especially in east Africa. The goal of this study was to describe patterns of access to transportation to health services among Congolese and Burundian refugees in Tanzania. We utilized cluster random sampling to perform a large, cross-sectional study in Nyarugusu refugee camp, Tanzania using an adapted version of the Surgeon Overseas Assessment Tool (SOSAS). We randomly selected 132 clusters out of 1472 clusters, randomly selected two people from all households in those clusters. Data analysis was performed in STATA (Stata Version 16, College Station, TX). A total of 3560 participants were included in the study including 1863 Congolese refugees and 1697 Burundian refugees. The majority of refugees reported they were generally healthy (n = 2792, 79.3%). The most common period of waiting to be seen at the health center was between three and 5 h (n = 1502, 45.8%), and over half of all refugees waited between 3 and 12 h to be seen. There was heterogeneity in other intra-camp referral networks (e.g. to and from traditional healer and hospital). Finally, a low percentage (3%) of participants reported leaving the refugee camp to seek health care elsewhere, and Congolese refugees were more likely to pursue self-referral in this manner. To our knowledge, this is the largest study focused on access to transportation among refugees in Tanzania and sub-Saharan Africa. Most participants reported financial difficulty always affording transportation costs with significant wait times occurring once arrived at the hospital. Our study does suggest that some independent health care seeking did occur outside of the camp-based services. Future research may focus more specifically on barriers to timely servicing of patients and patterns of self-referral.Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Author 1 Given name: [Zachary Obinna] Last Name [Enumah] and Author 2 Given name: [Mohamed Yunus] Last Name [Rafiq]. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct.Confirmed.

Immediate and delayed complications of inferior vena cava filters.

OBJECTIVE: Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement has increased dramatically in the past two decades. However, literature supporting the efficacy of these devices has been limited and controversial. In the present study, we have evaluated the predictors and rates of technical complications after IVC filter insertion in a large national database. METHODS: The Vascular Quality Initiative registry was explored (January 2013 to December 2020). Immediate complications were defined as venous injury requiring treatment, filter misplacement (failure to open, deployed >20 mm from intended site or in wrong vein, embolized to the heart), angulation >20°, and insertion site complications. Delayed complications were defined as migration, angulation >15°, fracture, caval and/or iliac thrombosis, filter thrombus, fragment embolization, and perforation. The Pearson χ2 test was used to compare the baseline characteristics between the patients who had developed immediate and/or delayed complications and those who had not. The predictors of these complications were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression, Cox proportional hazard regression, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of 14,784 patients were included in the present analysis, with a median follow-up of 11 months (interquartile range, 4-16 months). The rate of immediate and delayed complications was 1.8% and 3.1%, respectively. Angulation (1.2%) was the most common immediate complication, and filter thrombosis (1.6%) was the most common delayed complication. Compared with the patients with no immediate complications, those with immediate complications were more likely to have had abnormal anatomy (6.0% vs 1.7%; P < .001) and a landing zone other than infrarenal (7.0% vs 4.2%; P = .02). Compared with their counterparts, those with delayed complications were less likely to have received statins (21.0% vs 29.5%; P = .006) and were more likely to have a family history of venous thromboembolism (8.0% vs 5.1%; P = .047). Logistic regression analysis revealed that renal vein visualization was associated a 50% reduction (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.92; P = .027) in the odds of immediate complications and female sex and abnormal anatomy were associated with a 41% (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.08-1.85; P = .013) and 244% (aOR, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.66-7.16; P < .001) increase in the odds of immediate complications, respectively. Immediate (P = .21) and delayed (P = .51) complications did not result in increased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The immediate and delayed IVC filter complication rates were 1.8% and 3.1%, respectively, but the occurrence of complications was not associated with increased mortality. Female sex was associated with an increase in the development of immediate complications. The incidence of immediate complications might be mitigated if advanced imaging were used for renal vein visualization before IVC filter deployment. Delayed complications might be avoided if IVC filter retrieval were performed in a timely fashion and institutional retrieval protocols were optimized.

Reasons for referral and referral compliance among Congolese and Burundian refugees living in Tanzania: a community-based, cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: In order to prevent overburdening of higher levels of care, national healthcare systems rely on processes of referral, including for refugee populations which number 26 million globally. The goal of this study is to use data from a population-based household survey to describe patterns of referral services among a population of Congolese and Burundian refugees living in Tanzania. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey using cluster randomised sampling. SETTING: Nyarugusu refugee camp, Kigoma, Tanzania. PARTICIPANTS: 153 refugees. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Referral compliance. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Proportion of referrals that were surgical; proportion of referrals requiring diagnostic imaging. RESULTS: Out of 153 individuals who had been told they needed a referral, 96 (62.7%) had gone to the referral hospital. Of the 57 who had not gone, 36 (63%) reported they were still waiting to go and had waited over a month. Of the participants who had been referred (n=96), almost half of the participants reported they were referred for a surgical problem (n=43, 45%) and the majority received radiological testing at an outside hospital (n=72, 75%). Congolese refugees more frequently had physically completed their referral compared with Burundians (Congolese: n=68, 76.4% vs Burundian: n=28, 43.8%, p<0.001). In terms of intracamp referral networks, most refugees reported being referred to the hospital or clinic by a community health worker (n=133, 86.9%). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first community-based study on patterns of referral healthcare among refugees in Tanzania and sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings suggest patients were referred for surgical problems and for imaging, however not all referrals were completed in a timely fashion. Future research should attempt to build prospective referral registries that allow for better tracking of patients and examination of waiting times.

Prevalence of pediatric surgical problems among east African refugees: estimates from a cross-sectional survey using random cluster sampling.

IMPORTANCE: Surgery is a foundational aspect to high functioning health care systems. In the wake of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, previous research has focused on defining the burden of surgical conditions among a pediatric population, however these studies often fail to include forced migrant or refugees. The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of pediatric surgical conditions among refugees in east Africa. METHODS: We used the previously validated Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) that utilizes cross-sectional design with random cluster sampling to assess prevalence of surgical disease among participants aged 0 to 18 years in Nyarugusu refugee camp, Tanzania. We used descriptive and multivariable analyses including an average marginal effects model. RESULTS: A total of 1,658 participants were included in the study. The mean age of our sample was 8.3 ± 5.8 years. A total of 841 participants (50.7%) were male and 817 participants (49.3%) were female. A total of 513 (n = 30.9%) reported a history or presence of a problem that may be surgical in nature, and 280 (54.6%) of them reported the problem was ongoing or untreated. Overall, 16.9% had an ongoing problem that may be amenable to surgery. We found that increasing age and recent illness were associated with having a surgical problem on both our multivariable analyses. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first and largest study of prevalence of surgical conditions among refugee children in sub-Saharan Africa. We found that over 16% (one-in-six) of refugee children have a problem that may be amenable to surgery. Our results provide a benchmark upon which other studies in conflict or post-conflict zones with refugee or forced migrant populations may be compared.

Patterns of referral for refugees in western Tanzania: a retrospective review.

Introduction: access to essential secondary and tertiary healthcare, including surgery and medical sub-specialties, is a challenge in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs), especially for displaced populations. Referrals from refugee camps are highly regulated and may pose barriers to accessing essential secondary healthcare in a timely manner. Refugee referral systems and the ways they interact with national systems are poorly understood. Such information is necessary for resource allocation and prioritization, optimizing patient outcomes, national-level planning, and investment in capacity-building. Methods: a retrospective review of referrals from Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania to Kabanga Hospital between January 2016-May 2017 was conducted. Data was collected from logbooks on patient demographics, diagnosis, and reason for referral. Diagnoses and reasons for referral were further coded by organ system and specific referral codes, respectively. Results: there were 751 entries in the referral logbook between January 2016 and May 2017. Of these, 79 (10.5%) were excluded as they were caretakers or missing both diagnoses and reason for referral resulting in 672 (89.5%) total entries for analysis.The most common organ system of diagnosis was musculoskeletal (171, 25.5%) followed by head, ear, eye, nose and throat (n=164, 24.4%) and infectious disease (n=92, 13.7%). The most common reason for referral was imaging (n=250, 37.2%) followed by need for a specialist (n=214, 31.9%) and further management (n=116, 17.3%). X-ray comprised the majority of imaging referred (n=249, 99.6%). The most common specialties referred to were ophthalmology (n=104, 48.6%) followed by surgery (n=63, 29.4%), and otolaryngology (ENT) (n=17, 7.9%). Conclusion: given a large burden of referral for refugee patients and sharing of in and out-of-camp healthcare facilities with nationals, refugees should be included in national health care plans and have clear referral processes. Epidemiological data that include these intertwined referral patterns are necessary to promote efficient resource allocation, reduce unnecessary referrals, and prevent delays in care that could affect patient outcomes. International agencies, NGOs, and governments should conduct cost analyses to explore innovative capacity-building projects for secondary care in camp-based facilities.

Therapeutic citizens or therapeutic refugees? An examination of triage, refugeehood, and referral health care in Tanzania.

Referral health care refers to the movement of populations between different levels of a health care system, often to seek specialized care at higher level centers. It requires mobility of populations. Critical questions on the shortcomings for accessing referral health care, especially for refugees in sub-Saharan Africa, remain unexplored. How do global guidelines on referral health care play out in the local context of a country like Tanzania, where refugees are not legally allowed to leave the refugee camp without permission? How do health care providers navigate this complex space, and how can we leverage anthropological theories of biopower and therapeutic citizenship to better understand this context? Based on six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Tanzania between 2011 and 2021, I trace how global refugee policy manifests itself locally. I argue that referral for refugees in Tanzania is as much a political and social process as it is medical. The bureaucratic process favors certain pathologies over others and creates significant delays in referral. Triage takes on nuanced forms whereby a certain aspect of a patient's case (i.e., prognosis, cost, age) is privileged in a context of strict refugee policy that restricts independent care-seeking. Most patients are approved for referral, but many are denied. A patient may not be sick enough to merit timely referral, or they may be deemed too sick to prevent referral altogether. Challenging other arguments of therapeutic citizenship where people living with certain health conditions acquire access to certain therapies and their right to health, I show how refugees with certain pathologies are actually excluded from care. These therapeutic exceptions produce consequences whereby bureaucracy and security have prevailed over the right to health and reinforced the power of state sovereignty in what may best be understood not as a therapeutic citizenship, but instead as a therapeutic refugeehood.

Untreated Surgical Problems Among East African Refugees: A Cluster Randomized, Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of surgical conditions among refugees in East Africa. BACKGROUND: Surgery is a foundational aspect to high functioning health care systems. In the wake of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, previous research has focused on defining the burden of surgical conditions in low- and middle-income countries. Despite numbering over 80 million people globally, forced migrant populations have often been neglected from this body of research. METHODS: We administered a validated survey using random cluster sampling to determine surgical need among refugees in western Tanzania. Primary outcome was history or presence of a surgical problem. Analysis included descriptive and multivariable logistic regression including an average marginal effects model. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 3,574 refugee participants in East Africa. A total of 1,654 participants (46.3%) reported a history or presence of at least one problem that may be surgical in nature. Of those 1,654 participants who did report a problem 1,022 participants (61.8%) reported the problem was still ongoing. Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with having a surgical problem (increasing age, occupation, illness within past year). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first and largest population-based survey in estimating the prevalence of surgical disease among refugees in sub-Saharan Africa. Our results imply that more than one-in-four refugees has an ongoing surgical problem, suggesting over double the burden of surgical need in refugee populations compared to non-refugee settings.

Patient understanding regarding opioid use in an orthopaedic trauma surgery population: a survey study.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have assessed provider knowledge and factors associated with opioid misuse; similar studies evaluating patient knowledge are lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the degree of understanding regarding opioid use in orthopaedic trauma patients. We also sought to determine the demographic factors and clinical and personal experiences associated with level of understanding. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-six adult orthopaedic trauma surgery patients across two clinical sites of an academic institution participated in an internet-based survey (2352 invited, 7.1% response rate). Demographic, clinical, and personal experience variables, as well as perceptions surrounding opioid use were collected. Relationships between patient characteristics and opioid perceptions were identified using univariate and multivariable logistic regressions. Alpha = 0.05. RESULTS: Excellent recognition (> 85% correct) of common opioids, side effects, withdrawal symptoms, and disposal methods was demonstrated by 29%, 10%, 30%, and 2.4% of patients; poor recognition (< 55%) by 11%, 56%, 33%, and 52% of patients, respectively. Compared with white patients, non-white patients had 7.8 times greater odds (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-31) of perceiving addiction discrepancy (p = 0.004). Employed patients with higher education levels were less likely to have excellent understanding of side effects (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.06, 95% CI 0.006-0.56; p = 0.01) and to understand that dependence can occur within 2 weeks (aOR 0.28, 95% CI 0.09-0.86; p = 0.03) than unemployed patients. Patients in the second least disadvantaged ADI quartile were more knowledgeable about side effects (aOR 8.8, 95% CI 1.7-46) and withdrawal symptoms (aOR 2.7, 95% CI 1.0-7.2; p = 0.046) than those in the least disadvantaged quartile. Patients who knew someone who was dependent or overdosed on opioids were less likely to perceive addiction discrepancy (aOR 0.24, 95% CI 0.07-0.76; p = 0.02) as well as more likely to have excellent knowledge of withdrawal symptoms (aOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1-6.5, p = 0.03) and to understand that dependence can develop within 2 weeks (aOR 3.8, 95% CI 1.5-9.8, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Level of understanding regarding opioid use is low among orthopaedic trauma surgery patients. Clinical and personal experiences with opioids, in addition to demographics, should be emphasized in the clinical history.

Societies of Futures Past: Examining the History and Potential of International Society Collaborations in Addressing the Burden of Rheumatic Heart Disease in the Developing World.

This paper explores the role and place of national, regional, and international society collaborations in addressing the major global burden of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). On the same order of HIV, RHD affects over 40 million people worldwide. In this article, we will outline the background and current therapeutic landscape for cardiac surgery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including the resource-constrained settings within which RHD surgery often occurs. This creates numerous challenges to delivering adequate surgical care and post-operative management for RHD patients, and thus provides some context for a growing movement for and applicability of structural heart approaches, innovative valve replacement technologies, and minimally invasive techniques in this setting. Intertwined and building from this context will be the remainder of the paper which elaborates how national, regional, and international societies have collaborated to address rheumatic heart disease in the past (e.g., Drakensberg Declaration, World Heart Federation Working Group on RHD) with a focus on primary and secondary prevention. We then provide the recent history and context of the growing movement for how surgery has become front and center in the discussion of addressing RHD through the passing of the Cape Town Declaration.

Humanitarian surgical service utilization by a host country population: comparing surgery patterns between refugees and Tanzanians using an interrupted time-series analysis.

BACKGROUND: While current estimates suggest that up to three million additional surgical procedures are needed to meet the needs of forcibly displaced populations, literature on surgical care for refugee or forced migrant populations has often focused on acute phase and war-related trauma or violence with insufficient attention to non-war related pathologies. To our knowledge, no study has compared refugee versus host population utilization of surgical services in a refugee camp-based hospital over such an extended period of twenty years. The aim of this paper is to first describe the patterns of surgical care by comparing refugee and host population utilization of surgical services in Nyarugusu refugee camp between 2000 and 2020, then evaluate the impact of a large influx of refugees in 2015 on refugee and host population utilization. METHODS: The study was based on a retrospective review of surgical logbooks in Nyarugusu refugee camp (Kigoma, Tanzania) between 2000 and 2020. We utilized descriptive statistics and multiple group, interrupted time series methodology to assess baseline utilization of surgical services by a host population (Tanzanians) compared to refugees and trends in utilization before and after a large influx of Burundian refugees in 2015. RESULTS: A total of 10,489 operations were performed in Nyarugusu refugee camp between 2000 and 2020. Refugees underwent the majority of procedures in this dataset (n = 7,767, 74.0%) versus Tanzanians (n = 2,722, 26.0%). The number of surgeries increased over time for both groups. The top five procedures for both groups included caesarean section, bilateral tubal ligation, herniorrhaphy, exploratory laparotomy and hysterectomy. In our time series model, refugees had 3.21 times the number of surgeries per quarter at baseline when compared to Tanzanians. The large influx of Burundian refugees in 2015 impacted surgical output significantly with a 38% decrease (IRR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.84) in surgeries in the Tanzanian group and a non-significant 20% increase in the refugee group (IRR = 1.20, 95% CI 0.99-1.46). The IRR for the difference-in-difference (ratio of ratios of post versus pre-intervention slopes between refugees and Tanzanians) was 1.04 (95% CI 1.00-1.07), and this result was significant (p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical care in conflict and post-conflict settings is not limited to war or violence related trauma but instead includes a large burden of obstetrical and general surgical pathology. Host population utilization of surgical services in Nyarugusu camp accounted for over 25% of all surgeries performed, suggesting some host population benefit of the protracted refugee situation in western Tanzania. Host population utilization of surgical services was apparently different after a large influx of refugees from Burundi in 2015.

Epidemiology of surgery in a protracted humanitarian setting: a 20-year retrospective study of Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Kigoma, Western Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: There are 80 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide, 26.3 million of whom are refugees. Many refugees live in camps and have complex health needs, including a high burden of non-communicable disease. It is estimated that 3 million procedures are needed for refugees worldwide, yet very few studies exist on surgery in refugee camps, particularly protracted refugee settings. This study utilizes a 20-year dataset, the longest dataset of surgery in a refugee setting to be published to date, to assess surgical output in a setting of protracted displacement. METHODS: A retrospective review of surgeries performed in Nyarugusu Camp was conducted using paper logbooks containing entries between November 2000 and September 2020 inclusive. Abstracted data were digitized into standard electronic form and included date, patient nationality, sex, age, indication, procedure performed, and anesthesia used. A second reviewer checked 10% of entries for accuracy. Entries illegible to both reviewers were excluded. Demographics, indication for surgery, procedures performed, and type of anesthesia were standardized for descriptive analysis, which was performed in STATA. RESULTS: There were 10,799 operations performed over the 20-year period. Tanzanians underwent a quarter of the operations while refugees underwent the remaining 75%. Ninety percent of patients were female and 88% were 18 years of age or older. Caesarean sections were the most common performed procedure followed by herniorrhaphies, tubal ligations, exploratory laparotomies, hysterectomies, appendectomies, and repairs. The most common indications for laparotomy procedures were ectopic pregnancy, uterine rupture, and acute abdomen. Spinal anesthesia was the most common anesthesia type used. Although there was a consistent increase in procedural volume over the study period, this is largely explained by an increase in overall camp population and an increase in caesarean sections rather than increases in other, specific surgical procedures. CONCLUSION: There is significant surgical volume in Nyarugusu Camp, performed by staff physicians and visiting surgeons. Both refugees and the host population utilize these surgical services. This work provides context to the surgical training these settings require, but further study is needed to assess the burden of surgical disease and the extent to which it is met in this setting and others.