Global operating theatre distribution and pulse oximetry supply: an estimation from reported data

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Surgical Services
• Health Equity

Background:

• Inadequate resources often limit surgical service availability worldwide.
• Operating theatres and essential monitoring devices like pulse oximetry are key indicators of surgical capacity.
• Significant disparities exist in access to surgical care globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the global distribution of operating theatres.
• To quantify the availability of pulse oximetry in operating theatres worldwide.
• To identify disparities in surgical resources across different global regions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 769 hospitals in 92 countries participating in the WHO's safe surgery saves lives initiative.
• Calculated operating theatre to hospital bed ratios and estimated operating theatres per 100,000 people.
• Surveyed anaesthesia providers in 72 countries and used regression modeling to assess pulse oximetry availability.

Main Results:

• Operating theatre availability varied significantly, from 1.0 per 100,000 in west sub-Saharan Africa to 25.1 per 100,000 in eastern Europe.
• Low-income regions, serving 2.2 billion people, had fewer than two operating theatres per 100,000 people.
• Approximately 19.2% of global operating theatres lacked pulse oximetry, impacting surgical safety.

Conclusions:

• Urgent improvements in public health strategies and monitoring are required.
• Addressing disparities in surgical access is critical for over 2 billion people.
• Enhanced resource allocation and monitoring are essential to improve global surgical care.