Social Vulnerability Index in Emergency General Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review

BackgroundThe Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) has also been used as a measure of social determinants of health (SDOH), with several studies showing worse health outcomes in patients with higher burdens of SDOH. This systematic review focuses on the application of SVI in Emergency General Surgery (EGS), exploring the impact of patient vulnerability on individual health outcomes.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria consisted of studies that were peer reviewed, obtainable in English, used SVI as a measurement applied to EGS. Of the initial 1216 papers 11 studies met inclusion criteria.ResultsHigh SVI is associated with increased mortality, respiratory, cardiac and bleeding complications, and readmissions. Acute cholecystitis showed higher SVI linked to an increased likelihood of requiring emergent cholecystectomy. Investigations into bowel-related surgeries show connections between high SVI and increased stoma creation and likelihood of emergent operations.ConclusionThere is evidence of correlation between SVI and a variety of poor outcomes in emergency general surgery patient. This suggests that SVI can serve as an indicator of high risk patients as well as allow there to be inventions in specific communities to improve health care outcomes.