Characterising transnational ophthalmic surgical partnerships by engagement and training
Daniel J Olivieri1,2,3, Zane Z Yu1,2, Geoffrey C Tabin4
1Division of Ophthalmology, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Background:
Transnational ophthalmic partnerships exist between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in varying capacities. We analyzed partnership stakeholders to better understand and address disparities in ophthalmic surgical care.
Methods:
An international Web search was conducted to identify surgeons, foundations or organisations participating in ophthalmic delivery and/or capacity building from 2010 to 2019. Partnerships were defined through clinical activities, education and training and/or research support. Descriptive data on current ophthalmic partnerships were collected from published reports, literature reviews and information on stakeholder webpages. Partnerships were classified by the extent of engagement and training: grade I 'engagement' represented documented partnerships of at least 1 year and grade I 'training' limited or poorly defined skills transfer programmes, while grade III 'engagement' represented partnerships with well-documented fiscal investment and/or research productivity and grade III 'training' established training programmes. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and geospatially depicted on Tableau (Mountain View, CA) and ArcMap software (Redlands, CA).
Results:
In total, 209 unique HIC-LMIC partnerships encompassing 92 unique countries were described. The most common HIC partners were from North America (123; 59%), followed by Europe (75; 36%). The most common LMIC partners were from Africa (102; 49%), followed by Asia-Pacific (54; 26%) and Latin America (44; 21%). Additionally, partnerships most frequently provided services in cataract (48%), glaucoma (25%) and diabetic retinopathy (25%). The most common 'engagement' classifications were grade I (36%) or II (40%); the most common 'training' classifications were grade I (61%) or II (23%).
Conclusion:
Transnational ophthalmic partnerships exist with varying degrees of both engagement and training. Partnerships are stronger in research collaboration and direct services, and weaker in LMIC-directed training programmes.
