International Health
Volume 7 Issue 6 November 2015
http://inthealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/current

.

Improving surgical systems in low- and middle-income countries: an inclusive framework for monitoring and evaluation
Peter G. Bendix, Jamie E. Anderson, John A. Rose, Emilia V. Noormahomed, and Stephen W. Bickler
Int. Health (2015) 7 (6): 380-383 doi:10.1093/inthealth/ihv054
Corresponding author: E-mail: jeanderson@ucdavis.edu
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.