Development of paediatric surgical care in Sierra Leone: a repeated nationwide cross-sectional study from 2012 to 2023.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Access to paediatric surgical care remains severely limited in many low-income countries. In 2012, the unmet need for paediatric surgery in Sierra Leone was 88%, and there were no Sierra Leonean paediatric surgeons nationwide. Task-sharing has emerged as a promising strategy to address workforce shortages and geographic disparities, yet its impact on paediatric surgery remains underexplored. This study examines national trends in paediatric surgical care and evaluates the effects of task-sharing over a decade.

Methods

A nationwide repeated cross-sectional study was conducted using surgical logbook data from all eligible facilities in 2012, 2017 and 2023. Data included patient age and sex, procedure type, provider cadre and facility characteristics. The annual su

SUBMITTER: Faradonbeh SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12863334 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature