ArticleWorld journal of surgery2021
The Local Mission: Improving Access to Surgical Care in Middle-Income Countries.
Article in World journal of surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Comparative Study of Cleft Management in Different Economic Settings: United States Versus Guatemala.The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association · 2026Article
- Exploring the Interface Between International Nongovernmental Organizations and Local Vietnamese Hospitals in Cleft Care.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Ethics in Global Plastic Surgery Missions.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2024Article
- Enhancing Cranio-Maxillofacial Fracture Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBillions of people lack access to quality surgical care. Short-term missions are used to supplement the delivery of surgical care in regions with poor access to care. Traditionally known for using international teams, Operation Smile has transitioned to using a local mission model, where surgical service is delivered to areas of need by teams originating within that country. This study investigates the proportion and location of Operation Smile missions that use the local mission model.
methodsA retrospective review was performed of the Operation Smile mission database for fiscal years 2014 to 2019. Missions were classified into local or international missions. Countries were also classified by their income levels as well as their specialist surgical workforce (SAO) density. As no individual patient or provider data was recorded, ethics board approval was not warranted.
resultsBetween 2014 and 2019, Operation Smile held an average of 144.8 (range 135-154) surgical missions per year. Local missions accounted for 97 ± 5.6 (67%) of the missions. Of the 34 program countries, 26 (76%) used local missions. Of the countries that had only international missions, six (75%) were low-income countries and the average SAO density was 1.54 (range 0.19-5.88) providers per 100,000 people. Of the countries with local missions, 24 (92%) were middle-income, and the average SAO density was 30.9 (range 3.4-142.4).
conclusionInternational investments may assist in the creation of local surgical teams. Once teams are established, local missions are a valuable way to provide specialized surgical care within a country's own borders.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.