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Introduction: The impact of COVID-19 on low-resource surgical systems is concerning but there are limited studies examining the effect in low- and middle-income countries. This study assesses changes in surgical capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, a tertiary healthcare facility in Soroti, Uganda., Methods: Patients from a prospective general surgery registry at SRRH were divided into cohorts admitted prior to the pandemic (January 2017 to February 2020) and during the pandemic (March 2020 to May 2021). Demographics, pre-hospital characteristics, in-hospital characteristics, provider-reported delays in care, and adverse events were compared between cohorts., Results: Of the 1547 general surgery patients, 1159 were admitted prior to the pandemic and 388 were admitted during the pandemic. There was no difference in the median number of elective (24.5 vs. 20.0, p value = 0.16) or emergent (6.0 vs. 6.0, p value = 0.36) surgeries per month. Patients were more likely to have a delay in surgical care during the pandemic (22.6% vs. 46.6%, p < 0.01), particularly from lack of operating space (16.9% vs. 46.3%, p < 0.01) and lack of a surgeon (1.6% vs. 4.4%, p < 0.01). Increased proportion of delays in care appear correlated with waves of COVID-19 cases at SRRH. There were no changes in rates of adverse events (5.7% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.18)., Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant increases in surgical care delays and emergency surgery at SRRH. Strengthening surgical systems when not in crisis and including provisions for safe, timely surgical delivery during epidemic resource allocation is needed to strengthen the overall healthcare system., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth are extremely high in low-resource countries such as Uganda. Maternal mortality in low- and middle-income countries is related to delays in seeking, reaching, and receiving adequate health care. This study aimed to investigate the in-hospital delays to surgical care for women in labor arriving to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH)., Methods: From January 2017 to August 2020, we collected data on obstetric surgical patients in labor using a locally developed, context-specific obstetrics surgical registry. Data regarding patient demographics, clinical and operative characteristics, as well as delays in care and outcomes were documented. Descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted., Results: A total of 3189 patients were treated during our study period. Median age was 23 years, most gestations were at term (97%) at the time of operation, and nearly all patients underwent Cesarean Section (98.8%). Notably, 61.7% of patients experienced at least one delay in their surgical care at SRRH. Lack of surgical space was the greatest contributor to delay (59.9%), followed by lack of supplies or personnel. The significant independent predictors of delayed care were having a prenatal acquired infection (AOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.43-2.09) and length of symptoms less than 12 h (AOR 0.32, 95% CI 0.26-0.39) or greater than 24 h (AOR 2.61, 95% CI 2.18-3.12)., Conclusion: In rural Uganda, there is a significant need for financial investment and commitment of resources to expand surgical infrastructure and improve care for mothers and neonates., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The mismatch between the global burden of surgical disease and global health funding for surgical illness exacerbates disparities in surgical care access worldwide. Amidst competing priorities, governments need to rationally allocate scarce resources to address local needs. To build an investment case for surgery, economic data on surgical care delivery is needed. This study focuses on femur fractures., Methods: This prospective cohort study at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH), captured demographic, clinical, and cost data from all surgical inpatients and their caregivers at SRRH from February 2018 through July 2019. We performed descriptive and inferential analyses. We estimated the cost effectiveness of intramedullary nailing relative to traction for femur fractures by using primary data and making extrapolations using regional data., Results: Among the 546 patients, 111 (20.3%) had femur fractures and their median [IQR] length of hospitalization was 27 days [14, 36 days]. The total societal cost and Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained was USD 61,748.10 and 78.81 for femur traction and USD 23,809 and 85.47 for intramedullary nailing. Intramedullary nailing was dominant over traction of femur fractures with an Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio of USD 5,681.75 per QALY gained., Conclusion: Femur fractures are the most prevalent and most expensive surgical condition at SRRH. Relative to intramedullary nailing, the use of femur traction at SRRH is not cost effective. There is a need to explore and adopt more cost-effective approaches like internal fixation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Building capacity for surgical care in low-and-middle-income countries is essential for the improvement of global health and economic growth. This study assesses in-hospital delays of surgical services at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH), a tertiary healthcare facility in Soroti, Uganda., Methods: A prospective general surgical database at SRRH was analyzed. Data on patient demographics, surgical characteristics, delays of care, and adverse clinical outcomes of patients seen between January 2017 and February 2020 were extracted and analyzed. Patient characteristics and surgical outcomes, for those who experienced delays in care, were compared to those who did not., Results: Of the 1160 general surgery patients, 263 (22.3%) experienced at least one delay of care. Deficits in infrastructure, particularly lacking operating theater space, were the greatest contributor to delays (n = 192, 73.0%), followed by shortage of equipment (n = 52, 19.8%) and personnel (n = 37, 14.1%). Male sex was associated with less delays of care (OR 0.63) while undergoing emergency surgeries (OR 1.65) and abdominal surgeries (OR 1.44) were associated with more frequent delays. Delays were associated with more adverse events (10.3% vs. 5.0%), including death (4.2% vs. 1.6%). Emergency surgery, unclean wounds, and comorbidities were independent risk factors of adverse events., Discussion: Patients at SRRH face significant delays in surgical care from deficits in infrastructure and lack of capacity for emergency surgery. Delays are associated with increased mortality and other adverse events. Investing in solutions to prevent delays is essential to improving surgical care at SRRH., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The epidemiology and cost of surgical care delivery in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) is poorly understood. This study characterizes the cost of surgical care, rate of catastrophic medical expenditure and medical impoverishment, and impact of surgical hospitalization on patients' households at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH), Uganda., Methods: We prospectively collected demographic, clinical, and cost data from all surgical inpatients and caregivers at SRRH between February 2018 and January 2019. We conducted and thematically analyzed qualitative interviews to discern the impact of hospitalization on patients' households. We employed the chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, and Bonferroni tests and built regression models to identify predictors of societal cost of surgical care. Out of pocket spending (OOPS) and catastrophic expenses were determined., Results: We encountered 546 patients, mostly male (62%) peasant farmers (42%), at a median age of 22 years; and 615 caregivers, typically married (87%), female (69%), at a median age of 35 years. Femur fractures (20.4%), soft tissue infections (12.3%), and non-femur fractures (11.9%) were commonest. The total societal cost of surgical care was USD 147,378 with femur fractures (USD 47,879), intestinal obstruction (USD 18,737) and non-femur fractures (USD 10,212) as the leading contributors. Procedures (40%) and supplies (12%) were the largest components of societal cost. About 29% of patients suffered catastrophic expenses and 31% were medically impoverished., Conclusion: Despite free care, surgical conditions cause catastrophic expenses and impoverishment in Uganda. Femur fracture is the most expensive surgical condition due to prolonged hospitalization associated with traction immobilization and lack of treatment modalities with shorter hospitalization.