title: Concerns of an itinerant surgeon: results of a Guatemalan surgical aid trip.
abstract: Over the past decade the popularity of foreign medical aid has increased and gained notoriety. Operation Walk is a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the ambulatory potential of patients in developing countries by providing free surgical treatment for patients who otherwise lack access to care of debilitating bone and joint conditions. During Operation Walk Mooresville's 2013 trip to Guatemala 40 patients prospectively completed a Likert Scale style survey. The 63-question survey assessed patient impressions and concerns regarding the care they receive as part of itinerant surgical aid trips. Mean scores were calculated and then concerns were ranked accordingly. We are aware of no other investigation assessing these sorts of patient centered perspectives for international surgical aid trips.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kavolus
authors.affiliation: Center for Hip and Knee Surgery, Mooresville, Indiana.
authors.forename: Merrill A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.affiliation: Fundaorto, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Jorge G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Claverie
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Barfield
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lackland
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Trousdale
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006166:Guatemala; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008493:Medical Missions; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Likert scale; foreign aid; hip arthroplasty; knee arthroplasty; patient impressions