ArticleWorld journal of surgery2026
Mapping Plastic Reconstructive Surgical Needs and Access Barriers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.
Article in World journal of surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Letter to the Editor: Mapping Plastic Reconstructive Surgical Needs and Access Barriers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.World journal of surgery · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAn estimated 140 million additional surgical procedures are required annually, yet access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the poorest 2.2 billion people receive only 3.5% of procedures. In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of trauma, burns, and congenital malformations far exceeds available capacity, yet evidence on plastic reconstructive surgery (PRS) remains fragmented and poorly quantified. This scoping review mapped the current state of PRS evidence, disease burden, and barriers to care in the region.
methodsWe conducted comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, Bioline International, and AJOL (Oct 21, 2024) supplemented by gray-literature screening. Studies addressing PRS-relevant pathologies, surgical capacity, or barriers to care in sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) were included without date or language restriction. Data were charted in Covidence and synthesized descriptively.
resultsOf 11,780 records, 353 met inclusion criteria. Trauma (43.6%) and burns (40.2%) dominated reconstructive workload, with congenital anomalies reported in 33.4% of studies. Most research originated from Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania and was concentrated in tertiary hospitals. Workforce shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and financial barriers were the most frequent obstacles. Skin grafting and wound management comprised over one-third of reported procedures. PRS interventions were highly cost-effective, with estimates as low as US$33 per DALY averted.
conclusionsReconstructive surgery in sub-Saharan Africa remains critically under-researched and under-resourced. Addressing inequities requires locally adapted assessment tools, workforce expansion, and integration of PRS into national surgical plans.
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Registered trials
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