The State of Global Surgery Assessment and Data Collection Tools: A Scoping Review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Data collection is important to deliver operative care. Describing assessment and data collection tools used in global surgery can help organize future development. The goal of this study was to identify such tools with the aim of characterizing the type and usage and to identify gaps for future research. METHODS: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews guidelines, we searched PubMed from 2000 to 2022 to identify assessment or data collection tools useful for global surgery. Additional tools were identified from references and online searches. RESULTS: The search identified 43 articles with 10 tools identified for the review. Additionally, 7 tools were included from the references and online searches for a total of 17 tools. Of the tools identified, 13 (76.5%) focused on surgery in general and 4 (23.5%) on surgical specialties; 12 (70.6%) were quantitative, 3 (17.6%) were qualitative, and 2 (11.8%) used mixed methods. In total, 10 (58.8%) were validated, and 9 (52.3%) were used in multiple settings. The Table lists the articles by category type. Table. - Summary of Surgical Assessment Tools by Category Type Category Tool Surgical capacity World Health Organization (WHO) Tool for Situational Analysis to Assess Emergency and Essential Surgical Care (TSAAEESC) Personnel, Infrastructure, Procedures, Equipment, Supplies (PIPES) Pediatric Personnel, Infrastructure, Procedures, Equipment, Supplies (PediPIPES) Upper Extremity/Hand focused PIPES Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Surgical Survey Tool Epidemiology Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) Surgeons OverSeas Injury Survey (SOSINJ) Population Based Cross-Sectional Study in Rwanda Trauma care WHO Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care Emergency and Critical Care Tool Checklist WHO Safe Surgery Checklist CLEFT-Q Indus Hospital Community Cohort Baseline Survey Boston Technical Performance Score Qualitative Individual and Community Perceptions of Surgical Care Focus Groups WHO Safe Surgical Checklist-Ethnographic Case Study of its use Rwandan Community Based Survey Assessing for Non—Obstetric Surgical Conditions Surgical Interview Questionnaire with Physical Exams CONCLUSION: This scoping review identified multiple global surgery tools, with the most common being operative capacity survey. Other types assessed epidemiology or trauma care or were checklists or qualitative. Many lacked documented widespread usage or validation. In the development of tools for an evidenced based approach for global surgery intervention, tools need to be piloted, validated, and indicate their proof of being useful in each new setting. Development of surgical specialty tools should be considered.