Current opinion in anaesthesiology
-
This review focuses on physician workforce racial & ethnic diversity as a solution to improve perioperative and peripartum health equity. ⋯ Academic medicine has recognized the need to diversify the physician workforce for more than 50 years, and yet Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic physicians remain URiM. Foundational assumptions and power structures in medicine limit entry, advancement, and retention of URiM physicians. Solutions require leadership and institutional commitment to change the policies, procedures, priorities, and culture of academic medicine.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2022
ReviewSafe surgery for every child, implementation of paediatric anaesthesia training in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and 43.5% of its population is under 15 years. Most of these children do not have access to specialized paediatric anaesthesia care when needed, as there are only few paediatric anaesthetists in the country. We highlight the barriers to safe anaesthesia in children, present training opportunities in paediatric anaesthesia and the need for additional, more extensive training in Nigeria. ⋯ To solve the urgent problem of acute shortage of paediatric anaesthetists in Nigeria, general anaesthetists should be empowered through short courses to provide safe anaesthesia for children. A comprehensive Fellowship programme is urgently needed to train specialists in paediatric anaesthesia. Equipment upgrade, creation of children's hospitals and empowerment for research are important end points that require governmental support.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2022
ReviewRacial and ethnic disparities in access to gynecologic care.
Despite efforts to minimize patient barriers to equitable care, health disparities persist in gynecology. This paper seeks to highlight racial and ethnic disparities in gynecologic care as represented by recent literature. ⋯ As we identify these social disparities in healthcare, we gain valuable knowledge of where our efforts are lacking and where we can further improve the health of women. Future research should focus on identifying and combating such disparities with measurable changes in health outcomes.
-
The purpose of this review is to discuss how state perinatal quality collaboratives are addressing birth equity to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Mason CL, Collier CH, Penny SC. Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and Birth Equity. Produced by CLMB Productions for use in this publication. January 10, 2022, http://links.lww.com/COAN/A86.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2022
ReviewGlobal pediatric surgery and anesthesia inequities: how do we have a global effort?
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the inequities in access to healthcare while also revealing our global connectivity. These inequities are emblematic of decades of underinvestment in healthcare systems, education, and research in low-middle income countries (LMICs), especially in surgery and anesthesiology. Five billion people remain without access to safe surgery, and we must take appropriate action now. ⋯ Research that determines ethical and acceptable partnership development between high- and low-resourced settings focusing on education and capacity building needs to be standardized and followed.