Socially Responsible Surgery: Building Recognition and Coalition.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Surgical Outcomes
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Socially responsible surgery (SRS) integrates public health principles into surgical practice.
• It addresses social determinants of health impacting surgical access and outcomes in underserved populations.
• Collaboration between surgeons and allied health professionals is key to mitigating these disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of surgical access and outcomes for underserved populations.
• The review focused on rural and urban American communities, as well as low- and middle-income countries.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed.
• Reference lists of relevant articles and reports from global surgery commissions were also reviewed.

Main Results:

• Significant disparities in surgical access and outcomes exist for underserved populations across diverse settings.
• There is a need to unify scholarship in rural, urban, and global surgery under the SRS framework.
• Addressing social determinants of health is crucial for improving surgical patient outcomes beyond perioperative care.

Conclusions:

• SRS offers a unified approach to improving surgical care for underserved populations.
• Surgeons have a vital role in addressing social determinants of health.
• Formalized research and training are necessary to support the growing interest in socially responsible surgical practices.