Perioperative medicine: challenges and solutions for global health

Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2023 Dec 2;84(12):1-8. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2023.0286. Epub 2023 Dec 8.

Abstract

The emerging field of perioperative medicine has the potential to make significant contributions to global health. Perioperative medicine aims to help reduce unmet surgical need, decrease variation in quality and systematically improve patient outcomes. These aims are also applicable to key challenges in global health, such as limited access to surgical care, variable quality and workforce shortages. This article describes the areas in which perioperative medicine can contribute to global health using case studies of successful care pathways, risk prediction tools, strategies for effective grassroots research and novel workforce approaches aimed at effectively using limited resources.

Keywords: Global health; Global surgery; Low and middle income countries; Perioperative medicine; Postoperative outcomes; Quality improvement; Surgical care.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Developing Countries*
  • Global Health
  • Humans
  • Perioperative Medicine*
  • Workforce