Population health metrics for surgery: effective coverage of surgical services in low-income and middle-income countries.
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.
Ozgediz
Doruk
D
Division of Pediatric Surgery, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G 1X8. dozgediz@hotmail.com
Hsia
Renee
R
Weiser
Thomas
T
Gosselin
Richard
R
Spiegel
David
D
Bickler
Stephen
S
Dunbar
Peter
P
McQueen
Kelly
K
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*