BackgroundSurgical task‐sharing may be central to expanding the provision of surgical care in low‐resource settings. The aims of this paper were to describe the set‐up of a new surgical task‐sharing training programme for associate clinicians and junior doctors in Sierra Leone, assess its productivity and safety, and estimate its future role in contributing to surgical volume.MethodsThis prospective observational study from a consortium of 16 hospitals evaluated crude in‐hospital mortality over 5 years and productivity of operations performed during and after completion of a 3‐year surgical training programme.ResultsSome 48 trainees and nine graduated surgical assistant community health officers (SACHOs) participated in 27 216 supervised operations between January 2011 and July 2016. During training, trainees attended a median of 822 operations. SACHOs performed a median of 173 operations annually. Caesarean section, hernia repair and laparotomy were the most common procedures during and after training. Crude in‐hospital mortality rates after caesarean sections and laparotomies were 0·7 per cent (13 of 1915) and 4·3 per cent (7 of 164) respectively for operations performed by trainees, and 0·4 per cent (5 of 1169) and 8·0 per cent (11 of 137) for those carried out by SACHOs. Adjusted for patient sex, surgical procedure, urgency and hospital, mortality was lower for operations performed by trainees (OR 0·47, 95 per cent c.i. 0·32 to 0·71; P < 0·001) and SACHOs (OR 0·16, 0·07 to 0·41; P < 0·001) compared with those conducted by trainers and supervisors.Conclusion SACHOs rapidly and safely achieved substantial increases in surgical volume in Sierra Leone.

No abstract

No abstract

Background Effective dissemination of technology in global surgery is vital to realize universal health coverage by 2030. Challenges include a lack of human resource, infrastructure and finance. Understanding these challenges, and exploring opportunities and solutions to overcome them, are essential to improve global surgical care. Methods This review focuses on technologies and medical devices aimed at improving surgical care and training in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The key considerations in the development of new technologies are described, along with strategies for evaluation and wider dissemination. Notable examples of where the dissemination of a new surgical technology has achieved impact are included. Results Employing the principles of frugal and responsible innovation, and aligning evaluation and development to high scientific standards help overcome some of the challenges in disseminating technology in global surgery. Exemplars of effective dissemination include low‐cost laparoscopes, gasless laparoscopic techniques and innovative training programmes for laparoscopic surgery; low‐cost and versatile external fixation devices for fractures; the LifeBox pulse oximeter project; and the use of immersive technologies in simulation, training and surgical care delivery. Conclusion Core strategies to facilitate technology dissemination in global surgery include leveraging international funding, interdisciplinary collaboration involving all key stakeholders, and frugal scientific design, development and evaluation.