The Plastic Surgery Workforce and Its Role in Low-income Countries

Area of Science:

• Global surgery
• Health workforce research
• Plastic surgery

Background:

• Plastic surgery services vary significantly across different healthcare settings.
• The scope of plastic surgery in low-income countries (LICs) is not well-defined.
• Assessing the plastic surgery workforce is essential for understanding global surgical capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the plastic surgery workforce in LICs.
• To identify conditions commonly treated by plastic surgeons in LICs.
• To evaluate the impact of plastic surgery on the global disease burden.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was used to identify and gather data from plastic surgeons practicing in LICs.
• Data collected included practice setting, training, income, and perceived barriers to care.
• Surgeons reported on commonly treated conditions and essential surgical procedures performed.

Main Results:

• An estimated 63 plastic surgeons were identified across 15 LICs; 16 LICs had no identified surgeons.
• The most frequent conditions treated were burns, trauma, and cleft deformities.
• Barriers to care included insufficient equipment, and a significant deficit in the number of plastic surgeons was perceived.

Conclusions:

• Plastic surgery is vital for essential surgical care in LICs.
• There is a critical need to expand the plastic surgery workforce and infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries.
• Addressing the unmet surgical burden requires continued investment in plastic surgery services.