Surgical symptomatic knowledge among medical staff and community health workers in rural Cambodia: a descriptive study for workforce improvement

Abstract

Objective: The surgical workforce needs to at least double by 2030. To increase the workforce, training for non-physician healthcare professionals and community health workers (CHWs) in rural areas is promising to decrease the numbers of untreated surgical patients. Nevertheless, few studies have been conducted on surgical activities of non-physician healthcare professionals and CHWs in rural Cambodia. We sought to measure the level of knowledge of surgical symptoms, and identify factors associated with it. A questionnaire survey was administered to people in rural areas of Kratie Province to determine their knowledge of surgical symptoms, and to strengthen the surgical workforce among medical staff and CHWs. Patient/Materials and Methods: To evaluate the knowledge of surgical symptoms among medical staff and CHWs, a self-reported questionnaire was administered to medical staff, CHWs, and villagers in a rural area of Kratie province, Cambodia. The rating score of the number of correct answers among medical staff, CHWs, and villagers was set as the primary outcome. Results: A total of 91 participants, including 31 medical staff, 24 CHWs, and 36 villagers, completed the survey. The median scores for knowledge of symptoms indicative of surgery were 8 (7-8) [median (interquartile range)] in medical staff, 8 (7-8.5) in CHWs, and 8.5 (8-9) in villagers. There was no significant difference in the scores of surgical symptoms among each of the occupational groups. The group of people who recognized low subjective knowledge of surgical symptom by themselves had significantly higher objective score of knowledge of surgical symptom. Conclusion: Knowledge of surgical symptoms among medical staff and CHWs was inadequate. To at least double the surgical workforce by 2030 successfully, accurate evaluation and improvement of surgical symptomatic knowledge among medical staff in rural areas is crucial.

Vulnerable groups and protective habits associated with the number of symptoms caused by pesticide application in Kratie, Cambodia: a cross-sectional questionnaire study

“…Furthermore, a previous study indicated that organochlorines greatly influenced the health of pregnant women, especially in low-income groups 14 ) . Thus, Cambodia is a suitable area for surveying the health effects associated with pesticide poisoning among farmworkers and identifying groups highly affected by these problems 15 ) .…”

“…The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of several pesticide poisoning symptoms and to identify protective habits that effectively prevented these symptoms among farmworkers in Kratie, where such poisoning is an urgent public health problem 15 ) .…”