Publications
Research, reports and articles by the Global Surgery Foundation and our partners. Select a title to open the publication.
Browse by type: All · Journal articles · Event reports · Annual reports · Articles & commentary · Conference papers
Browse by theme: Policy & Planning · Women's Health · Cancer Care · Education & Training · Trauma Care
From Concept to Concrete: Implementing Value-Based Healthcare to Improve Care for the Patient
Report from an online event with UNITAR and Takeda on putting value-based healthcare into practice, with breast cancer surgical care as an entry point.
Global Surgery Foundation, UNITAR and Takeda · May 2024
E-learning Supporting Surgical Training in Low-Resource Settings
Reviews how e-learning supports surgical training in low-resource settings. Trainees value both local and external resources but face poor infrastructure, uneven content quality and a lack of material suited to their context.
Current Surgery Reports · April 2024
Scalable policy adoption and sustainable implementation of surgical care in the Americas
Summarises a 2023 meeting in Ecuador, held alongside the PAHO Directing Council, on strengthening surgical systems in the Americas, and argues that national surgical plans can help build resilient health systems.
Pan American Journal of Public Health · April 2024
Innovative Financing to Scale High-Value Anesthesia Health Services in Health Systems
Examines how anaesthesia services are financed worldwide, where many countries lack enough anaesthesia providers, and explores how innovative financing instruments could help expand high-value care.
Current Anesthesiology Reports · February 2024
GSF Annual Report 2023
Covers GSF's team, programmes, partnerships and results in 2023.
Global Surgery Foundation · December 2023
Improving surgical safety checklist utilisation at 23 public health facilities in Ethiopia: a collaborative quality improvement project
A quality improvement project at 23 public health facilities in Ethiopia combined training, monthly mentorship and shared learning, and raised use of the WHO surgical safety checklist to over 90% within a year.
BMJ Open Quality · November 2023
Improving access to safe, quality surgical care for gynecologic cancers through capacity-building interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review
A scoping review of capacity-building and task-sharing programmes for surgical treatment of early-stage gynaecological cancers in low- and middle-income countries found encouraging results and called for standardised evaluation.
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics · November 2023
A research agenda to improve incidence and outcomes of assisted vaginal birth
Sets out a research agenda to improve the use and outcomes of assisted vaginal birth, which has declined particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Priorities include women's perceptions, provider training and barriers to sustained implementation.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization · October 2023
Mentoring approaches in a safe surgery program in Tanzania: Lessons learned during COVID-19 and recommendations for the future
Draws lessons from mentoring in the Safe Surgery 2020 programme in Tanzania's Lake Zone during COVID-19. In-person mentoring suited complex surgical skills, while virtual mentoring worked well for quality improvement and data use.
Surgery Open Science · July 2023
Strategic Planning to Improve Surgical, Obstetric, Anaesthesia, and Trauma Care in the Asia-Pacific Region
Reports on a 2021 virtual meeting series in which ministries of health, funders and partners shared lessons on national surgical planning in the Asia-Pacific, covering financing, COVID-19, climate change and remote training.
BMC Proceedings · June 2023
Routine Sterile Glove and Instrument Change at the Time of Abdominal Wound Closure to Prevent Surgical Site Infection
Discussion of the evidence for changing gloves and instruments before abdominal wound closure to prevent surgical site infection, with a focus on implementation in low- and middle-income settings.
EBRS, CAGS, the Global Surgery Foundation and UNITAR · April 2023
Financial Toxicity Among Patients With Breast Cancer Worldwide: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that financial toxicity affects patients with breast cancer worldwide, with much higher rates in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
JAMA Network Open · February 2023
Global Neurosurgery: Progress and Resolutions at the 75th World Health Assembly
Reviews progress in global neurosurgery advocacy around the 75th World Health Assembly in 2022, including work towards a resolution on folic acid fortification to prevent spina bifida.
Neurosurgery · February 2023
Cervical Cancer: Strengthening the Surgical Workforce
Report from an online event with UNITAR on strengthening the surgical workforce to help meet the WHO targets for eliminating cervical cancer.
Global Surgery Foundation and UNITAR · December 2022
The NSOAP Manual (Spanish edition)
The Spanish edition of the NSOAP Manual (Manual PNCOA), for those looking to improve surgical planning within national health strategies. Free to download after completing a short form.
UNITAR, Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change and the Global Surgery Foundation · December 2022
Breast Cancer: Moving from Policy to Practice
Report from an online event with UNITAR on the main challenges in turning national breast cancer plans and policies into practice, and how to overcome them.
Global Surgery Foundation and UNITAR · October 2022
GSF Bi-annual Report 2021–22
Covers GSF's team, highlighted activities, organisational growth and expanding partnerships in 2021 and 2022.
Global Surgery Foundation · October 2022
Pre-Hospital Synergy: Tranexamic Acid and Blood Transfusion in Patients at Risk for Haemorrhage
Discussion of a study on combining tranexamic acid and blood transfusion before hospital arrival for injured patients at risk of haemorrhage.
EBRS, UNITAR, CAGS and the Global Surgery Foundation · September 2022
Towards a Strategy for Improving Surgical Healthcare Worldwide
Draws on discussions convened for the Geneva Health Forum 2020 and earlier research by the Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change to set out a strategy for improving surgical healthcare worldwide.
Harvard Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Health Systems Innovation Lab at Harvard University and the Global Surgery Foundation · May 2022
Surgical Training: Is Digital Tech Here to Stay?
How digital technologies and e-learning can support surgical training and how to ensure equitable access in resource-limited settings. The event also introduced plans for SURGhub.
Global Surgery Foundation, RCSI Institute of Global Surgery and UNITAR · April 2022