Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia
INTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of published data on the type of conditions that require surgery among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Such information is necessary for assessing the impact of such conditions on child health and for setting priorities to improve paediatric surgical care. METHODS: D...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The World Health Organization
2000-11-01
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| Series: | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862000001100008&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1827332583448379392 |
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| author | Stephen W. Bickler Boto Sanno-Duanda |
| author_facet | Stephen W. Bickler Boto Sanno-Duanda |
| author_sort | Stephen W. Bickler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | INTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of published data on the type of conditions that require surgery among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Such information is necessary for assessing the impact of such conditions on child health and for setting priorities to improve paediatric surgical care. METHODS: Described in the article is a 29-month prospective study of all children aged <15 years who were admitted to a government referral hospital in the Gambia from January 1996 to May 1998. RESULTS: A total of 1726 children were admitted with surgical problems. Surgical patients accounted for 11.3% of paediatric admissions and 34 625 total inpatient days. The most common admission diagnoses were injuries (46.9%), congenital anomalies (24.3%), and infections requiring surgery (14.5%). The diagnoses that accounted for the greatest number of inpatient days were burns (18.8%), osteomyelitis (15.4%), fractures (12.7%), soft tissue injuries (3.9%), and head injuries (3.4%). Gambian children were rarely admitted for appendicitis and never admitted for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. The leading causes of surgical deaths were burns, congenital anomalies, and injuries other than burns. DISCUSSION: Prevention of childhood injuries and better trauma management, especially at the primary and secondary health care levels, should be the priorities for improving paediatric surgical care in sub-Saharan Africa. Surgical care of children should be considered an essential component of child health programmes in developing countries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:03:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c47392554664abe89a5656cfa00dda9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0042-9686 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:03:07Z |
| publishDate | 2000-11-01 |
| publisher | The World Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c47392554664abe89a5656cfa00dda92024-03-03T03:14:15ZengThe World Health OrganizationBulletin of the World Health Organization0042-96862000-11-01781113301336S0042-96862000001100008Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the GambiaStephen W. Bickler0Boto Sanno-Duanda1Royal Victoria HospitalUCSD Medical CenterINTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of published data on the type of conditions that require surgery among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Such information is necessary for assessing the impact of such conditions on child health and for setting priorities to improve paediatric surgical care. METHODS: Described in the article is a 29-month prospective study of all children aged <15 years who were admitted to a government referral hospital in the Gambia from January 1996 to May 1998. RESULTS: A total of 1726 children were admitted with surgical problems. Surgical patients accounted for 11.3% of paediatric admissions and 34 625 total inpatient days. The most common admission diagnoses were injuries (46.9%), congenital anomalies (24.3%), and infections requiring surgery (14.5%). The diagnoses that accounted for the greatest number of inpatient days were burns (18.8%), osteomyelitis (15.4%), fractures (12.7%), soft tissue injuries (3.9%), and head injuries (3.4%). Gambian children were rarely admitted for appendicitis and never admitted for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. The leading causes of surgical deaths were burns, congenital anomalies, and injuries other than burns. DISCUSSION: Prevention of childhood injuries and better trauma management, especially at the primary and secondary health care levels, should be the priorities for improving paediatric surgical care in sub-Saharan Africa. Surgical care of children should be considered an essential component of child health programmes in developing countries.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862000001100008&lng=en&tlng=ensurgerychildreferral and consultationhospitalsprospective studiesGambia |
| spellingShingle | Stephen W. Bickler Boto Sanno-Duanda Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia Bulletin of the World Health Organization surgery child referral and consultation hospitals prospective studies Gambia |
| title | Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia |
| title_full | Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia |
| title_fullStr | Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia |
| title_short | Epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the Gambia |
| title_sort | epidemiology of paediatric surgical admissions to a government referral hospital in the gambia |
| topic | surgery child referral and consultation hospitals prospective studies Gambia |
| url | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862000001100008&lng=en&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stephenwbickler epidemiologyofpaediatricsurgicaladmissionstoagovernmentreferralhospitalinthegambia AT botosannoduanda epidemiologyofpaediatricsurgicaladmissionstoagovernmentreferralhospitalinthegambia |