Scarcity of healthcare worker protection in eight low‐ and middle‐income countries: surgery and the risk of HIV and other bloodborne pathogens

Abstract

In view of the substantial incidence of bloodborne diseases and risk to surgical healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), we evaluated the availability of eye protection, aprons, sterile gloves, sterilizers and suction pumps. Review of studies using the WHO Tool for the Situational Analysis of Access to Emergency and Essential Surgical Care. Eight papers documented data from 164 hospitals: Afghanistan (17), Gambia (18), Ghana (17), Liberia (16), Mongolia (44), Sierra Leone (12), Solomon Islands (9) and Sri Lanka (31). No country had a 100% supply of any item. Eye protection was available in only one hospital in Sri Lanka (4%) and most abundant in Liberia (56%). The availability of sterile gloves ranged from 24% in Afghanistan to 94% in Ghana. Substantial deficiencies of basic protective supplies exist in low- and middle-income countries.