Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification, Distraction Osteogenesis, or Healing of Critical Sized Defects
Published on: April 11, 2012
Critically assessing the Haiti earthquake response and the barriers to quality orthopaedic care
Daniel B Sonshine1, Amber Caldwell, Richard A Gosselin
1Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA. sonshined@orthosurg.ucsf.edu
Background:
Although numerous authors have described surgical experiences following major disasters, little is known regarding the needs of and barriers to care faced by surgeons during such disasters.
Questions/Purposes:
We therefore (1) identified and compared recurrent interview themes essential to the disaster response following the 2010 Haiti earthquake; (2) determined the difference in reported disaster equipment management task difficulty between disaster-trained and untrained volunteers; and (3) approximated the quantity of various procedures performed.
Methods:
We conducted 14 interviews with selected orthopaedic surgeon volunteers. We also invited the 504 members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), who registered as Haiti earthquake volunteers, to complete an online survey; 174 (35%) completed the survey and 131 (26%) were present in Haiti during the 30 days after the earthquake. Recurrent interview themes were identified, quantified, and compared using Poisson regression analysis. The difference in disaster equipment management difficulty scores was determined with a Wilcoxon rank-sum test.
Results:
Of 10 recurrent interview themes, group organization (31 occurrences) was mentioned much more often than all but two of the remaining nine themes. Compared with disaster-untrained respondents, equipment management tended to be less challenging for disaster-trained respondents. Transporting to the treatment site and security during storage at the site were less challenging (19.5% and 16.5% decreases, respectively). Revision surgeries, guillotine amputations, fasciotomies, and internal fixations, suggestive of inappropriate disaster care, were frequently reported.
Conclusions:
Organizational and training barriers obstructed orthopaedic care delivery immediately after the Haiti earthquake. Disaster training and outcomes require further study to improve care in future catastrophes.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Fractures: Bone Repair
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the procedure...
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
01:26Traditional Level Of Health Care System
The preventive healthcare service includes tests for screening. Preventive health care services include identifying and reducing disease risk...