A Post-donation Survey to Assess the Appropriateness of Medical Supply Donations to Freetown, Sierra Leone Following the Ebola Crisis

Abstract

The Recovery of Equipment for Capacity building OVERseas (RECOVER) initiative at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School involves collection and donation of clean and unused medical supplies that would otherwise be discarded to those desperately in need of those supplies abroad. RECOVER has recently responded to the aftermath of the Ebola crisis and the even more recent mudslide natural disaster in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which had resulted in a considerable diminishing of the local medical supplies. The goal of this study was to assess the match between donated supplies and local needs by using a post-donation survey. In December 2016, we conducted a pre-donation survey inquiring which of the supplies available from RECOVER were needed by four hospitals in Freetown. The survey also asked about specific barriers to keeping such supplies in stock. After each hospital received a shipment of supplies, we administered an online Qualtrics (Qualtrics, Provo, UT) follow-up survey intending to assess the appropriateness of the donated supplies. The survey asked about which wards used what supplies, most useful items, ability to sterilize, and whether the donation provided supplies that would otherwise need to be bought. Recipient hospitals reported the use of 90% of donated supplies. The most useful supplies were gowns, scalpels, gloves, and drapes; All recipients reported the ability to sterilize donated goods. Supplies were used in operating rooms, emergency rooms, and medical wards. Donated supplies provided hospitals with supplies that would typically need to be bought or that were unavailable in the region. No adverse events were reported related to the use of donated supplies. At first glance, our donations appear usable and appropriate for the recipients. We hope to provide a framework for an objective measure of need for hospitals in other low-income countries, using the Freetown post-Ebola crisis as a pilot for the assessment of medical supply donations and the longitudinal impact it can have on global health and surgery overseas. More studies are required to further explore the possible implications of our program including those relating to medical waste management and environmental considerations when donating and shipping disposable supplies to a developing country.

Global Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Equipment Management and Sustainability and Implications for Pandemic Preparedness Priorities1

“…Estimates suggest that ≈40% of medical equipment in the hospital setting in developing countries remains out of service, predominantly because of a lack of infrastructure, training, and maintenance (24)(25)(26)(27).…”

Focus on reuse: reducing waste associated with topical preoperative antiseptics

“…In 2016, the Recovery of Equipment for Capacity building OVERseas initiative in Rutgers New Jersey Medical School responded to the aftermath of the Ebola crisis by salvaging and donating surplus unused surgical supplies from the operating theatre to regional hospitals in Sierra Leone. 21 According to postdonation survey respondents, 90% of supplies were used by recipient hospitals, with no adverse events reported in relation to the use of donated equipment.…”

Letter to the Editor: Global Public Health Impact of Recovered Supplies from Operating Rooms: A Critical Analysis with National Implications

“…Our institution's surgical donation program, the RECOVER Initiative, has routinely responded to global emergencies including the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, Hurricane Maria, the Beirut explosion, the 2020 Nagorno‐Karabakh war, and Russia's Invasion of Ukraine. The RECOVER experience and Wan et al’s partnership with Ecuador anecdotally show that donations to emergency situations are feasible across geographically and socioeconomically diverse settings [3, 4].…”

“…Wan et al focused on need‐based donations to Ecuador (in adherence with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines), demonstrating that donated supplies are cost‐effective when distributed to hospitals with limited resources [1, 2]. However, most donors of medical equipment rarely follow WHO guidelines on need‐sensitivity [2, 3]. Our institution's surgical donation program, the RECOVER Initiative, has routinely responded to global emergencies including the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, Hurricane Maria, the Beirut explosion, the 2020 Nagorno‐Karabakh war, and Russia's Invasion of Ukraine.…”