title: Patterns of surgical presentation at an African regional referral hospital: surveillance as a step towards improving access to care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surgical disease is being increasingly recognized as a significant health burden in Africa. Efforts have been made to describe surgical disease and capacity at the district hospital level. Little is known about patterns seen at regional hospitals supporting the district hospital network.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study was conducted at Uganda's Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, serving eight districts. Data were collected from July 2010 to March 2012 using operative and inpatient records as available. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to explore patterns of procedures performed and in-patient diagnoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 8511 procedures recorded in the operative log between July 2010 and June 2011, averaging 709 per month. Caesarian sections (41 %), dilation and evacuations (28 %), and laparotomies (19 %) were most frequent. Referrals to Soroti averaged 260 per month, while transfers out averaged 5 patients per month. Inpatient records documented 2949 surgically related diagnoses between July 2010 and May 2011. In patients >4 years old, 21 % of mortality was due to surgical disease, 29 % of which was trauma-related. Women comprised 80 % of violent injury. Common hospital record elements, such as demographic data, important clinical information, and operative notes were absent from these data sources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The World Health Assembly recently recognized strengthening of first referral hospitals as a crucial element to achieving universal health coverage. Inconsistencies in recordkeeping despite the large volume of surgical disease suggest that sustainable surveillance systems and capacity building at the referral hospital level are potential building blocks to improving access to surgical care.
authors: Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, Soroti-Lira Rd, Soroti, Uganda.
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Ajiko
authors: Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, USA.|Department of Surgery, Center for Global Surgical Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Ward 3A Box 0807, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Davé
authors: Department of Surgery, Center for Global Surgical Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Ward 3A Box 0807, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Feldhaus
authors: Department of Surgery, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania, 51 N 39th St., Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors: R N
authors: RN
authors: Smith
authors: Department of Surgery, Center for Global Surgical Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Ward 3A Box 0807, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Juillard
authors: Department of Surgery, Center for Global Surgical Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Ward 3A Box 0807, San Francisco, CA, USA. rochelle.dicker@ucsf.edu.
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Dicker
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Hospital records; Hospital referral; Retrospective review; Surgery; Surgical disease; Uganda