Taking Free Flap Surgery Abroad: A Collaborative Approach to a Complex Surgical Problem.

Publication/Presentation Date

3-1-2019

Abstract

Accessibility to health care, especially complex surgical care, represents one of the major health care disparities in developing countries. While surgical teams may be willing to travel to these areas to help address these needs, there are many logistical and ethical dilemmas inherent in this pursuit. We reviewed our approach to the establishment of the team-based surgical outreach program, wherein we perform head and neck free tissue transfer surgery in Haiti. We describe the challenges encountered in the delivery of surgical care as well as ethical dilemmas relevant to surgical outreach trips, highlighting an approach reliant on strong local cooperation. Despite the obstacles in place, our experience shows that free flap surgery can be successfully and ethically performed in these areas of great need.

Volume

160

Issue

3

First Page

426

Last Page

428

ISSN

1097-6817

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

30526295

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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