Challenges of Organizing Mission Surgery in Resource Limited Environments

Abstract

Interest in global burden of disease that can be surgically treated is on the rise, and plastic surgeons, with a wide scope of practice, have the tools that make them integral in providing much of the needed surgical support in the world. Since the 1950 s, plastic surgeons have been closely involved in volunteer surgery, and it is through the success and growth of organizations such as Interplast and Operation Smile that we are able to take part in the current paradigm shift to local empowerment and self-sufficiency instead of service delivery alone. This kind of growth started with medical mission work that fostered international partnerships and that remain an important aspect of addressing the unmet surgical burden of disease. Building a mission comprised of an international team of volunteers that travels to a resource-limited environment and provides top-quality surgical care is not without challenges. The aim of this article is to discuss some of these challenges and how they might be overcome.

Improved Techniques and Future Advances in Plastic Surgery in Global Health

“…The few examples from these checklists include assessing volunteer's credentials, setting surgery-specific exclusion criteria for patients, and strict requirements for surgical and anesthesia equipment. 17 Ethical guidelines exist as well. 18…”

“…There are papers that comprehensively outline site selection, equipment demands, and personnel demands. 17,19,20 Depending on the country in which a mission takes place, differing levels of support will be required from the local and national government. All of this must be considered before proceeding.…”