Evaluation of Surgical Procedures Needed for Refugees in Turkey:Retrospective study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: Surgical procedures are critical components of healthcare services; however, they are usually neglected during public health interventions due to misperceived high costs and limited benefits. Estimating surgical needs for refugee individuals in the host country would help humanitarian aid planning and strategical development of national surgery capacity for resource allocation. The present research aimed to analyze the surgical procedures of refugees. Methods: 2703 of 15725 hospitalized refugee patients, underwent a surgical procedure during February 2015 and December 2018. Demographic data of the patients such as age and gender, risk classification according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the anesthesia type, type of the surgical procedures, intraoperative blood transfusion rates, admission incidence to intensive care unit (ICU), and mortality rates were recorded. The surgical procedures divided into groups according to the surgical branches and analyzed. Results: Distribution of two-thirds of the surgical procedures among medical branches was obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics and traumatology, general surgery and plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery. The most common surgical procedures were C-section, appendectomy, disorders of bone integrity, and wrist injuries. Conclusion: Approximately one sixth of the refugee patients treated in our hospital underwent various surgical procedures. Our results should be taken into account by governments in planning humanitarian assistance, budgeting sources, and improving surgical capacity for the rapidly growing number of refugees worldwide.

Keywords

• healthcare
• refugee
• surgery