Time to regional surgical care in rural South Africa
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.South African regional hospitals manage essential surgeries, but many patients with general surgery conditions face delays. Telemedicine improved triage, yet high patient loss to follow-up requires further investigation.
Area Of Science
- Health Services Research
- Surgical Care Access
- Telemedicine in Surgery
Background
- South African district hospitals have limited surgical capacity.
- Regional hospitals manage most essential surgical conditions.
- Understanding patient pathways to surgical care is crucial.
Purpose Of The Study
- To describe the patient pathway and time to surgical care.
- To analyze referrals for general surgery conditions (PSC) at a regional hospital.
- To evaluate the impact of telemedicine on surgical care access.
Main Methods
- Retrospective audit of PSC referrals via Vula Mobile App to Worcester Regional Hospital (WRH).
- Data collected from January 2019 to December 2019.
- Outcomes included time to care and loss to follow-up.
Main Results
- 617 PSC referrals received; 76.5% from district hospitals.
- 27.7% managed via online consultation, 40.4% to outpatient, 31.9% for admission.
- Median time to operation: 28 days (outpatient), 10 days (inpatient); 53.4% outpatient loss to follow-up.
Conclusions
- District hospitals are primary referral sources for general surgery conditions.
- Telemedicine facilitated triage, reducing face-to-face consultations.
- High outpatient loss to follow-up necessitates further research into care access barriers.
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