ArticleThe Journal of surgical research2020
Benchmarking Global Trauma Care: Defining the Unmet Need for Trauma Surgery in Ghana.
Article in The Journal of surgical research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery indicators with quality assessment of modelled estimates.The British journal of surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Measurements of Surgical Volume in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, a Systematic Review.Annals of global health · 2023Pooled it
- Towards sustaining a trauma quality improvement initiative in Ghana: results of a clinical trial.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025Trial
- An evaluation of the Hawthorne effect in a clinical trial of trauma care in Ghana.World journal of surgery · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Care of Injured Children Compared to Adults at District and Regional Hospitals in Ghana and the Impact of a Trauma Intake Form: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial.Journal of pediatric surgery · 2024Trial
- Differences in trauma care between district and regional hospitals and impact of a trauma intake form with decision support prompts in Ghana: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial.World journal of surgery · 2024Trial
- Standardized trauma intake form with clinical decision support prompts improves care and reduces mortality for seriously injured patients in non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana: stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial.The British journal of surgery · 2023Trial
- Global challenges and perspectives in acute and emergency general surgery in low and middle-income countries: a scoping review.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Strengthening trauma care in low- and middle-income countries through guideline adaptation and scalable system reforms.World journal of methodology · 2026Review
- What Is the Need for and Access to Trauma Surgery in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? A Scoping Review.World journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Experiences of injured patients referred to higher levels of care after initial assessment and management at non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2024Article
- Assessment and reassessment of injured patients at non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2024Article
- Time to wound closure in facial soft tissue injuries following road traffic accidents.International wound journal · 2024Article
- The state of surgery, obstetrics, trauma, and anaesthesia care in Ghana: a narrative review.Global health action · 2022Review
- Factors Contributing to and Reducing Delays in the Provision of Adequate Care in Ghana: A Qualitative Study of Trauma Care Providers.World journal of surgery · 2022Article
- No implant, no solution, lost cases to surgery: orthopedic trauma triage for surgery in an NGO hospital in Sierra Leone.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2022Article
- Improving Global Surgical Oncology Benchmarks: Defining the Unmet Need for Cancer Surgery in Ghana.World journal of surgery · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe Lancet Commission on Global Surgery recommended 5000 operations/100,000 persons annually, but did not define condition-specific guidelines. New Zealand, Lancet Commission on Global Surgery's benchmark country, documented 1158 trauma operations/100,000 persons, providing a benchmark for trauma surgery needs. We sought to determine Ghana's annual trauma operation rate compared with this benchmark.
methodsData on all operations performed in Ghana from June 2014 to May 2015 were obtained from representative sample of 48/124 district (first level), 8/11 regional, and 3/5 tertiary hospitals and scaled up for nationwide estimates. Trauma operations were grouped by hospital level and categorized into "essential" (most cost-effective, highest population impact) versus "other" (specialized) as per the World Bank's Disease Control Priorities Project. Ghana's annual trauma operation rate was compared with the New Zealand benchmark to quantify current met needs for trauma surgery.
resultsAbout 232,776 operations were performed in Ghana; 35,797 were for trauma. Annual trauma operation rate was 134/100,000 (95% UI: 98-169), only 12% of the New Zealand benchmark. District hospitals performed 62% of all operations in the country, but performed only 38% of trauma operations. Eighty seven percentage of trauma operations were deemed "essential". Among specialized trauma operations, only open reduction and internal fixations had even modest numbers (3483 operations). Most other specialized trauma operations were rare.
conclusionsGhana has a large unmet need for operative trauma care. The low percentage of trauma operations in district hospitals indicates an even greater unmet need in rural areas. Future global surgery benchmarking should consider benchmarks for trauma and other specialties, as well as for different hospital levels.
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