title: Population health metrics for surgery: effective coverage of surgical services in low-income and middle-income countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Access to surgical services is emerging as a crucial issue in global public health. "Effective coverage" is a health metric used to evaluate essential health services in low- and middle-income countries. It measures the fraction of potential health gained that is actually realized for a given intervention by integrating the concepts of need, use, and quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study applies the concept of effective coverage to surgical services by considering injuries and obstetric complications as high-priority surgical conditions in low- and middle-income countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Effective coverage for both is poor, but it is less well defined for traumatic conditions compared to obstetric conditions owing to a lack of data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More primary and secondary data are critical to measure effective coverage and to estimate the resources required to improve access to surgical services in low- and middle-income countries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G 1X8. dozgediz@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Doruk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ozgediz
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weiser
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gosselin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bickler
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dunbar
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McQueen
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006292:Health Priorities; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013513:Obstetric Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000145:classification / Q000601:surgery; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000601:surgery*