• Jason A McVicar, Alana Poon, Nadine R Caron, M Dylan Bould, Jason W Nickerson, Nora Ahmad, Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, Chelsey Sheffield, Caitlin Champion, and Daniel I McIsaac.
• Departments of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (McVicar, Poon, Bould, McIsaac) and of Surgery (Kimmaliardjuk), Faculty of Medicine (Ahmad, during the conduct of the study); Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics (Nickerson), University of Ottawa; The Ottawa Hospital (McVicar, Poon, Kimmaliardjuk, McIsaac); Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (Bould); Bruyère Research Institute (Nickerson), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Surgery and Northern Medical Program (Caron), University of British Columbia, Prince George, BC; Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health (Caron), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (Ahmad, at time of writing), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Qikiqtani General Hospital (Sheffield), Iqaluit, NU; West Parry Sound Health Centre (Champion), Parry Sound, Ont.; Department of Surgery (Champion), Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Ont.
• CMAJ. 2021 May 17; 193 (20): E713-E722.

BackgroundSubstantial health inequities exist for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The remote and distributed population of Canada presents unique challenges for access to and use of surgery. To date, the surgical outcome data for Indigenous Peoples in Canada have not been synthesized.MethodsWe searched 4 databases to identify studies comparing surgical outcomes and utilization rates of adults of First Nations, Inuit or Métis identity with non-Indigenous people in Canada. Independent reviewers completed all stages in duplicate. Our primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes included utilization rates of surgical procedures, complications and hospital length of stay. We performed meta-analysis of the primary outcome using random effects models. We assessed risk of bias using the ROBINS-I tool.ResultsTwenty-eight studies were reviewed involving 1 976 258 participants (10.2% Indigenous). No studies specifically addressed Inuit or Métis populations. Four studies, including 7 cohorts, contributed adjusted mortality data for 7135 participants (5.2% Indigenous); Indigenous Peoples had a 30% higher rate of death after surgery than non-Indigenous patients (pooled hazard ratio 1.30, 95% CI 1.09-1.54; I 2 = 81%). Complications were also higher for Indigenous Peoples, including infectious complications (adjusted OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.13-2.34) and pneumonia (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.58-3.19). Rates of various surgical procedures were lower, including rates of renal transplant, joint replacement, cardiac surgery and cesarean delivery.InterpretationThe currently available data on postoperative outcomes and surgery utilization rates for Indigenous Peoples in Canada are limited and of poor quality. Available data suggest that Indigenous Peoples have higher rates of death and adverse events after surgery, while also encountering barriers accessing surgical procedures. These findings suggest a need for substantial re-evaluation of surgical care for Indigenous Peoples in Canada to ensure equitable access and to improve outcomes.Protocol RegistrationPROSPERO-CRD42018098757.© 2021 CMA Joule Inc. or its licensors.

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