title: Improving surgical systems in low- and middle-income countries: an inclusive framework for monitoring and evaluation.
abstract: High disease burden and inadequate resources have formed the basis for advocacy to improve surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Current measures are heavily focused on availability of resources rather than impact and fail to fully describe how surgery can be more integrated into health systems. We propose a new monitoring and evaluation framework of surgical care in LMICs to integrate surgical diseases into broader health system considerations and track efforts toward improved population health. Although more discussion is required, we seek to broaden the dialogue of how to improve surgical care in LMICs through this comprehensive framework.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Bendix
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA jeanderson@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Jamie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Emilia V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Noormahomed
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Bickler
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods*; D018511:Systems Integration
keywords: Global health; Global surgery; Monitoring and evaluation; WHO