• Marilyn Butler, Elizabeth Drum, Faye M Evans, Tamara Fitzgerald, Jason Fraser, Ai-Xuan Holterman, Howard Jen, J Matthew Kynes, Jenny Kreiss, Craig D McClain, Mark Newton, Benedict Nwomeh, James O'Neill, Doruk Ozgediz, George Politis, Henry Rice, David Rothstein, Julie Sanchez, Mark Singleton, and Francine S Yudkowitz.
• Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University.
• J. Pediatr. Surg. 2018 Apr 1; 53 (4): 828-836.

IntroductionPediatric surgeons, anesthesia providers, and nurses from North America and other high-income countries (HICs) are increasingly engaged in resource-limited areas, with short-term missions (STMs) as the most common form of involvement. However, consensus recommendations currently do not exist for STMs in pediatric general surgery and associated perioperative care.MethodsThe American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Delivery of Surgical Care Subcommittee and American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Global Pediatric Surgery Committee, with the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) Global Health Special Interest Group, and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) Committee on International Education and Service generated consensus recommendations for STMs based on extensive experience with STMs.ResultsThree distinct, but related areas were identified: 1) Broad goals of surgical partnerships between HICs- and low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A previous set of guidelines published by the Global Paediatric Surgery Network Collaborative (GPSN), was endorsed by all groups; 2) Guidelines for the conduct of STMs were developed, including planning, in-country perioperative patient care, post-trip follow-up, and sustainability; 3) travel and safety considerations critical to STM success were enumerated.ConclusionA diverse group of stakeholders developed these guidelines for STMs in LMICs. These guidelines may be a useful tool to ensure safe, responsible, and ethical STMs given increasing engagement of HIC providers in this work.Level Of Evidence5.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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