Global clinical experience of a long-term surgical mission trip

Abstract

Countless medical mission trips have traveled across the globe to provide health care, medical education, and social services to underserved populations in need. However, establishing sustainable health care initiatives in these remote locations has been challenging. Here we describe the successful strategies use by volunteers from the Medical Missions for Children (MMFC) and the Global Health Initiate of the Surgical Service Line of Northwell Health in our mission trips to Quito, Ecuador.

Beyond the Tip of the Blade: An Investigation of Upper Extremity Machete Injuries in Honduras

“…Studies support an increasing number of surgeons participating in global relief trips abroad. 11 We believe that our research findings can be translatable to other low and middle-income countries (LMICs) with similar health care challenges. An increased awareness of anticipated injuries and current health care infrastructure in Honduras would help guide outside providers on how to navigate intraoperative and postoperative care.…”

The World's consumption of free web‐based Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery educational resources: A global assessment of video usage trends

“…These efforts include the implementation of surgical curriculums, collaboration with government and nongovernmental agencies, and the development of residency programs. 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 Within this educational context of longitudinal surgical program growth in LMICs, these global partnerships provide ample opportunities for the inquiry, execution, and development of FOAM, especially in regard to the resource limitations of LMICs accessing traditional textbook or other paid educational media. Open‐access resources in otolaryngology, such as those analyzed in our study, can enhance this ability for sustained growth of LMIC‐otolaryngological care.…”

“…However, such data can be used in the context of global initiatives that have recently increased their focus on both immediately aiding in the performance of surgical procedures on short-term surgical trips and ushering long-term benefits through visiting providers extending education and surgical training. These efforts include the implementation of surgical curriculums, collaboration with government and nongovernmental agencies, and the development of residency programs [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Within this educational context of longitudinal surgical program growth in LMICs, these global partnerships provide ample opportunities for the inquiry, execution, and development of FOAM, especially in regard to the resource limitations of LMICs accessing traditional textbook or other paid educational media.…”

Global medical mission with surgical education objectives: a quality report regarding sustainability in an affiliated hospital in Quito, Ecuador

“…Most health professionals engaging in these missions were from the United States, and cleft lip and palate deformations were the focus of most of the missions [2] . Professionals that participate in a typical medical mission include physicians, nurses, social workers, and medical trainees [3] .…”

“…When a mission ends, the location remains in similar conditions before the international intervention, lacking access to medical care, and awaiting an eventual return of these professionals. Eventually, native populations rely more on visiting physicians than local doctors [3] . Becoming reliant upon visiting physicians, can create untoward network effects in a 2-fold manner: (1) the patients may wait for the "free services" of missions thereby putting the local physicians and health care systems out of practice due to no revenues, and (2) potential surgical complications that may go untreated for months causing devastating outcomes in patients.…”