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Barriers and potential solutions for improved surgical care for children with hernia in Eastern Uganda
Mary Margaret Ajiko1,2, Jenny Löfgren3, Solvig Ekblad4
1Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, Soroti, Uganda.
Insights
Access to pediatric surgery, particularly for hernias, is limited by traditional beliefs and gender inequality. Community partnerships and dedicated surgical teams can improve care for children needing surgery.
Area of Science:
- Global surgery
- Pediatric surgery
- Qualitative research
Background:
- Five billion people globally lack access to affordable surgical care, with a significant impact on children.
- Pediatric hernias are a common condition requiring surgical intervention, yet research on barriers to care is scarce.
- Understanding these barriers is crucial for improving surgical outcomes in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore barriers to surgical care for children with hernias.
- To identify potential solutions for improving access to pediatric surgical services.
- To investigate parental experiences and healthcare provider perspectives in eastern Uganda.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study design.
- Data collection from parents of children with hernias and healthcare providers.
- Thematic content analysis of collected data.
Main Results:
- Traditional beliefs and gender inequality were identified as significant barriers to accessing pediatric surgical care.
- Parents face challenges related to knowledge and cultural acceptance of surgical interventions.
- Healthcare providers' perceptions and practices influence care delivery for pediatric surgical conditions.
Conclusions:
- Community engagement and education are vital to increase knowledge and acceptance of pediatric surgery.
- Establishing a dedicated pediatric surgical team can enhance the quality and volume of surgical services for children.
- Addressing socio-cultural factors is essential for equitable access to surgical care for children.
Abstract:
Five billion people lack timely, affordable access to surgery. A large proportion of these are children. Qualitative research investigating the barriers to surgical care for children and ways of overcoming them is lacking. This study focused on children with hernia, a very common paediatric surgical condition for which surgery is the only effective treatment. The main aim of this qualitative study was to explore barriers to surgical care for children and identify potential solutions. Data were collected from parents of children with hernia and from health care providers at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda. Parents' experiences, motives and barriers when accessing care were explored. The health care providers' knowledge, perceptions and practices relating to children with hernia were investigated. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Traditional beliefs and gender inequality were considered major issues. Possible solutions included partnering with the local community in efforts to increase knowledge and acceptability in the community in general and by parents in particular. A formation of a surgical team dedicated to the management of children with surgical conditions was suggested as way to improve quality and increase volume of surgery for children.
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