Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41424680›Full record

ArticleJournal of central nervous system disease2025

Implementation of IOM in Uganda Utilizing the EPIS Framework: Report of a Symbiotic Collaboration.

Julio Montejano, Betty Nantongo, Tessa Klumpp, Teguo Daniel Djoyumm, Joshua Lahiri, Daniel Watiti, Humphrey Okechi, Emmanuel Wegoye, Colby Simmons

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of central nervous system disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Julio MontejanoDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7954-6134
Betty NantongoCURE Children's Hospital of Uganda, Mbale, Uganda.
Tessa KlumppVirginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA, USA.
Teguo Daniel DjoyummHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Joshua LahiriFOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Daniel WatitiCURE Children's Hospital of Uganda, Mbale, Uganda.
Humphrey OkechiCURE Children's Hospital of Uganda, Mbale, Uganda.
Emmanuel WegoyeCURE Children's Hospital of Uganda, Mbale, Uganda.
Colby SimmonsDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionately high burden of neurosurgical disease while facing severe shortages of trained neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists. Access to advanced technologies such as intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), crucial for complex neurosurgical procedures, is virtually nonexistent due to infrastructural, educational, and financial barriers. This study describes the development and implementation of Uganda's first IONM program at Cure Children's Hospital of Uganda (CCHU), using the well validated Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework. Methods: In collaboration with the University of Colorado, a standardized non-traditional training pathway was created, combining remote and in-person instruction in neurophysiology, technical IONM applications, and anesthetic considerations. Over a 3-year period, the program enabled CCHU to safely perform more than 80 complex pediatric neurosurgical cases across 2 years, incorporating modalities such as somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), motor evoked potentials (MEPs), and electromyography (EMG). Surgical and patient outcomes were not tracked for the purposes of this implementation study. Results: Between March 2022 and October 2024, 80 surgeries were performed at CCHU that made use of IONM technologies. The vast majority of the surgeries were intracranial and included one awake tumor resection with direct cortical mapping (DCS). A smaller subsect of patients underwent spine surgery for either tumor removal or correction of spinal cord tethering. Due to the difficulty in patient outreach many patients were lost to follow-up, however, efforts are being made to track patients and examine their clinical outcomes. Conclusion: Despite resource limitations, this initiative demonstrated that IONM can be effectively integrated into LMIC healthcare settings, improving surgical safety and outcomes while contributing to local workforce development. The success of this program underscores the value of international partnerships and implementation science in bridging global neurosurgical disparities and suggests a scalable model for future adoption across similar contexts.

Indexed as

EPIS frameworkintraoperative neuromonitoringpediatric neurosurgery

Identifiers

PMID41424680
PMCPMC12715171

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