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Redefining global cardiac surgery through an intersectionality lens
Dominique Vervoort1, Lina A Elfaki2, Maria Servito3
1Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada vervoortdominique@hotmail.com.
Insights
Six billion people lack access to essential cardiac surgical care due to complex, intersecting disparities. This study explores intersectionality to improve global access to cardiovascular surgery.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Health Equity
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally.
- Significant disparities exist in access to timely and affordable cardiac surgical care.
- Existing research often overlooks the intersection of multiple sociodemographic factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate barriers to global cardiac surgery access using an intersectionality framework.
- To examine intersectionality methodologies for studying cardiovascular care access.
- To redefine 'global cardiac surgery' through an intersectionality lens.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of intersectionality themes and methodologies.
- Analysis of barriers to cardiac surgery access across diverse sociodemographic characteristics.
- Conceptual redefinition of global cardiac surgery.
Main Results:
- Current approaches to global cardiac surgery are often reductionist, focusing on single factors.
- Intersectionality provides a more comprehensive understanding of access disparities.
- Multiple identities and traditions significantly influence care access.
Conclusions:
- An intersectionality lens is crucial for understanding and addressing inequities in global cardiac surgery.
- Redefining global cardiac surgery with intersectionality can inform more effective health system interventions.
- Future research should adopt intersectional methodologies to improve cardiovascular care access for all.
Abstract:
Although cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, six billion people lack access to safe, timely and affordable cardiac surgical care when needed. The burden of cardiovascular disease and disparities in access to care vary widely based on sociodemographic characteristics, including but not limited to geography, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, indigeneity, socioeconomic status and age. To date, the majority of cardiovascular, global health and global surgical research has lacked intersectionality lenses and methodologies to better understand access to care at the intersection of multiple identities and traditions. As such, global (cardiac) surgical definitions and health system interventions have been rooted in reductionism, focusing, at most, on singular sociodemographic characteristics. In this article, we evaluate barriers in global access to cardiac surgery based on existing intersectionality themes and literature. We further examine intersectionality methodologies to study access to cardiovascular care and cardiac surgery and seek to redefine the definition of 'global cardiac surgery' through an intersectionality lens.
