Global comparison of pediatric surgery workforce and training

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Pediatric Surgery Workforce
• Surgical Education

Background:

• Significant global disparities exist in the number and distribution of pediatric surgeons.
• Understanding factors influencing this distribution is crucial for addressing healthcare access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the number of pediatric surgeons per capita and key factors.
• To examine the influence of education length, pediatric population, birth rate, and GDP per capita on surgeon distribution.

Main Methods:

• An internet search was performed to gather data from 15 countries.
• Data collected included: duration of surgical training, number of pediatric surgeons, birth rate, GDP per capita, and population under 15.
• Statistical correlation was used to analyze the relationship between surgeon numbers and influencing factors.

Main Results:

• Pediatric surgeon density per million children ranged from 0.51 to 29.3.
• No correlation was found between surgeon numbers and the length of surgical training (23-29 years).
• A negative correlation was observed between surgeon numbers and birth rates, and a positive correlation with GDP per capita.

Conclusions:

• Wide variations in pediatric surgeon availability worldwide necessitate further investigation.
• Countries with high birth rates and low GDP per capita face a significant shortage of pediatric surgeons.
• These findings highlight critical areas for improving global pediatric surgical workforce distribution.