Background
Noncommunicable diseases, including those requiring surgical care, are increasingly
straining low- and middle-income countries. Globally, 11% of all disability-adjusted
life-years lost result from conditions requiring surgery; however, little is known
about country-specific burden. We piloted a household-based survey in a periurban
district of Uganda to estimate the prevalence of surgical conditions and to identify
logistical challenges.
Methods
Our sample comprised 57 households in 5 enumeration areas in the Wakiso District,
in central Uganda. Our survey tool was the Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical
need. A household representative completed demographic and household death information,
and 2 randomly selected household members completed questions on surgical conditions.
Results
Of 96 participants, 6 (6.3%; 95% CI, 2.3–13.1) had an existing, untreated surgical
condition. The lifetime prevalence of surgical conditions was 26% (25/96). The most
common barrier to access to care was lack of financial resources. Of the 3 deaths
reported, 2 were associated with surgery. The mean household interview time was 36 minutes.
The greatest challenge was efficient coordination with local team members and government
officials.
Conclusion
In this setting, the current prevalence of surgical conditions was nearly 1 in 10
persons, and lifetime occurrence was high, at 1 in 4 persons. Addressable challenges
led to question revisions and a change in the data collection platform. A full-country
study is both feasible and necessary to characterize the met and unmet need for surgical
care in Uganda.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 15, 2015
Accepted:
May 16,
2015
Footnotes
Funding: Duke Global Health Institute and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
E.K.B. and T.M.T. are co-first authors of this paper.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
