Understanding the economic value of health interventions is essential for policy makers to make informed resource allocation decisions. The objective of this systematic review was to summarize ...available information on the economic impact of children's surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
We searched MEDLINE (Pubmed), Embase, and Web of Science for relevant articles published between Jan. 1996 and Jan. 2015. We summarized reported cost information for individual interventions by country, including all costs, disability weights, health outcome measurements (most commonly disability-adjusted life years DALYs averted) and cost-effectiveness ratios (CERs). We calculated median CER as well as societal economic benefits (using a human capital approach) by procedure group across all studies. The methodological quality of each article was assessed using the Drummond checklist and the overall quality of evidence was summarized using a scale adapted from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
We identified 86 articles that met inclusion criteria, spanning 36 groups of surgical interventions. The procedure group with the lowest median CER was inguinal hernia repair ($15/DALY). The procedure group with the highest median societal economic benefit was neurosurgical procedures ($58,977). We found a wide range of study quality, with only 35% of studies having a Drummond score ≥ 7.
Our findings show that many areas of children's surgical care are extremely cost-effective in LMICs, provide substantial societal benefits, and are an appropriate target for enhanced investment. Several areas, including inguinal hernia repair, trichiasis surgery, cleft lip and palate repair, circumcision, congenital heart surgery and orthopedic procedures, should be considered "Essential Pediatric Surgical Procedures" as they offer considerable economic value. However, there are major gaps in existing research quality and methodology which limit our current understanding of the economic value of surgical care.
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has strained healthcare systems and presented unique challenges for children requiring cancer care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study ...aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to cancer care for children and adolescents in Northern Tanzania.
In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the demographic and clinical characteristics of 547 pediatric and adolescent cancer patients (ages 0-19 years old) between 2016 and 2022 using the population-based Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry (KCR). We categorized data into pre-COVID-19 (2016-2019) and COVID-19 (2020-2022) eras, and performed descriptive analyses of diagnostic, treatment, and demographic information. A secondary analysis was conducted on a subset of 167 patients with stage of diagnosis at presentation.
Overall admissions nearly doubled during the pandemic (n = 190 versus 357). The variety of diagnoses attended at KCMC increased during the pandemic, with only five groups of diseases reported in 2016 to twelve groups of diseases in 2021. Most patients were diagnosed at a late stage (stage III or IV) across eras, with the proportion of under-five years old patients increasing late-diagnoses from 29.4% (before the pandemic), 52.8% (during the pandemic), when compared to the overall cohort. Around 95% of children in this age category reported late-stage diagnosis during the pandemic. Six out of the twelve cancer site groups also reported an increase in late-stage diagnosis. During the pandemic, the proportion of children receiving surgery increased from 15.8 to 30.8% (p < 0.001).
Childhood and adolescent cancer care changed in Northern Tanzania during the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased late-stage diagnoses presentations among younger patients and the increased use of surgical therapies in the context of a growing practice. Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric and adolescent cancer care can help us better adapt healthcare systems and interventions to the emerging needs of children and adolescents with cancer in the midst of a health crisis.
Background
The Disease Control Priorities (DCP-3) group defines surgery as essential if it addresses a significant burden, is cost-effective, and is feasible—yet the feasibility component remains ...largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to develop a precise definition of feasibility for essential surgical procedures for children.
Methods
Four online focus group discussions (FGDs) were organized among 19 global children’s surgery providers with experience of working in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), representing 10 countries. FGDs were transcribed
verbatim
, and qualitative data analysis was performed. Codes, categories, themes, and subthemes were identified.
Results
Six determinants of feasibility were identified, including: adequate human resources; adequate material resources; procedure and disease complexity; team commitment and understanding of their setting; timely access to care; and the ability to monitor and achieve good outcomes. Factors unique to feasibility of children’s surgery included children’s right to health and their reliance on adults for accessing safe and timely care; the need for specialist workforce; and children’s unique perioperative care needs. FGD participants reported a greater need for task-sharing and shifting, creativity, and adaptability in resource-limited settings. Resource availability was seen to have a direct impact on decision-making and prioritization, e.g., saving a life versus achieving the best outcome.
Conclusions
The identification of a precise definition of feasibility serves as a pivotal step in identifying a list of essential surgical procedures for children, which would serve as indicators of institutional surgical capacity for this age group.
Worldwide, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer each year. The bulk of the mortalities from these cases occur in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a ...tremendous need to strengthen the capacity of health systems to provide high-quality cancer care for children. However, a lack of data on the economic impact of cancer treatment in low-resource settings hinders its consideration as a healthcare priority. To address this gap, this study models the clinical and financial impact of pediatric cancer care in Tanzania, a lower-middle income country in East Africa.
We conducted a retrospective review of patients with cancer under the age of 19 years treated at Bugando Medical Centre from January 2010 to August 2014. Information was collected from a total of 161 children, including demographics, type of cancer, care received, and five-year survival outcomes. This data was used to calculate the number of averted disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) with treatment. Charges for all direct medical costs, fixed provider costs, and variable provider costs were used to calculate total cost of care. The societal economic impact of cancer treatment was modeled using the value of statistical life (VSL) and human capital methods.
The total health impact for these 161 children was 819 averted DALYs at a total cost of $846,743. The median cost per patient was $5,064 ($4,746-5,501 interquartile range). The societal economic impact of cancer treatment ranged from $590,534 to $3,647,158 using VSL method and $1,776,296 using a human capital approach.
Despite the limitations of existing treatment capacity, economic modeling demonstrates a positive economic impact from providing pediatric cancer care in Tanzania. As many countries like Tanzania progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, these key economic indicators may encourage future investment in comprehensive pediatric cancer care programs in low-resource settings to achieve clinically and economically beneficial results not only for the individual patients, but for the country as a whole.
Background There is limited understanding of how social determinants of health (SDOH) impact family decision-making when seeking surgical care for children. Our objectives of this study are to ...identify key family experiences that contribute to decision-making when accessing surgical care for children, to confirm if family experiences impact delays in care, and to describe differences in family experiences across populations (race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rurality). Methods We will use a prospective, cross-sectional, mixed methods design to examine family experiences during access to care for children with appendicitis. Participants will include 242 parents of consecutive children (0–17 years) with acute appendicitis over a 15-month period at two academic health systems in North Carolina and Virginia. We will collect demographic and clinical data. Parents will be administered the Adult Responses to Children’s Symptoms survey (ARCS), the child and parental forms of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) survey, the Accountable Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tool, and Single Item Literacy Screener. Parallel ARCS data will be collected from child participants (8–17 years). We will use nested concurrent, purposive sampling to select a subset of families for semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis and integrated with quantitative data to identify emerging themes that inform a conceptual model of family-level decision-making during access to surgical care. Multivariate linear regression will be used to determine association between the appendicitis perforation rate and ARCS responses (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes include comparison of health literacy, ACEs, and SDOH, clinical outcomes, and family experiences across populations. Discussion We expect to identify key family experiences when accessing care for appendicitis which may impact outcomes and differ across populations. Increased understanding of how SDOH and family experiences influence family decision-making may inform novel strategies to mitigate surgical disparities in children.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is disproportionally concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the odds of dying from TBI in Uganda more than 4 times higher than in high income ...countries (HICs). The objectives of this study are to describe the processes of care and determine risk factors predictive of poor outcomes for TBI patients presenting to Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH), Kampala, Uganda.
We used a prospective neurosurgical registry based on Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) to systematically collect variables spanning 8 categories. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to determine significant predictors of mortality.
563 TBI patients were enrolled from 1 June- 30 November 2016. 102 patients (18%) received surgery, 29 patients (5.1%) intended for surgery failed to receive it, and 251 patients (45%) received non-operative management. Overall mortality was 9.6%, which ranged from 4.7% for mild and moderate TBI to 55% for severe TBI patients with GCS 3-5. Within each TBI severity category, mortality differed by management pathway. Variables predictive of mortality were TBI severity, more than one intracranial bleed, failure to receive surgery, high dependency unit admission, ventilator support outside of surgery, and hospital arrival delayed by more than 4 hours.
The overall mortality rate of 9.6% in Uganda for TBI is high, and likely underestimates the true TBI mortality. Furthermore, the wide-ranging mortality (3-82%), high ICU fatality, and negative impact of care delays suggest shortcomings with the current triaging practices. Lack of surgical intervention when needed was highly predictive of mortality in TBI patients. Further research into the determinants of surgical interventions, quality of step-up care, and prolonged care delays are needed to better understand the complex interplay of variables that affect patient outcome. These insights guide the development of future interventions and resource allocation to improve patient outcomes.
Purpose Wilms tumor is the most common childhood renal malignancy and the fourth most common childhood cancer. Many biomarkers have been studied but there has been no comprehensive summary. We ...systematically reviewed the literature on biomarkers in Wilms tumor to quantify the prognostic implications of the presence of individual tumor markers. Materials and Methods We searched for English language studies from 1980 to 2015 performed in patients younger than 18 years with Wilms tumor and prognostic data. The protocol was conducted per PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Two reviewers abstracted data in duplicate using a standard evaluation form. We performed descriptive statistics, then calculated relative risks and 95% confidence intervals for markers appearing in multiple level II or III studies. Results A total of 40 studies were included examining 32 biomarkers in 7,381 patients with Wilms tumor. Studies had a median of 61 patients, 24 biomarker positive patients per series and a median followup of 68.4 months. Median percentages of patients with stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 tumors were 28.5%, 26.4%, 24.5%, 14.1% and 1.7%, respectively, and 10.2% had anaplasia. The strongest negative prognostic association was loss of heterozygosity at 11p15, with a risk of recurrence of 5.00, although loss of heterozygosity at 1p and gain of function at 1q were also strongly linked to increased recurrence (2.93 and 2.86, respectively). Conclusions Several tumor markers are associated with an increased risk of recurrence or a decreased risk of overall survival in patients with Wilms tumor. These data suggest targets for development of diagnostic tests and potential therapies.
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