Addressing quality in surgical services in sub-Saharan Africa: hospital context and data standardization matter
Like politics, all quality improvement is local, so a deep understanding of local context and circumstances is essential.
Resources
Find Lifebox resources for perioperative professionals - including publications, our online learning courses, and Lifebox workshop materials
Anesthesia facility evaluation: a Whatsapp survey of hospitals in Burundi
This study has demonstrated the feasibility of using a WhatsApp chat group among a national society of anesthesia providers in Burundi to perform an initial abbreviated audit of anesthesia facilities.
Clean Cut (adaptive, multimodal surgical infection prevention program) for low-resource settings: a prospective quality improvement study
This study showed that Lifebox's Clean Cut program improved infection prevention standards to reduce SSI without infrastructure expenses or resource investments.
Pulse oximetry in low-resource settings during the COVID-19 pandemic
Large gaps remain in other critical units of the hospital, including PACUs, ICUs, and emergency rooms, where on average there were 1–3 unmonitored high-acuity beds per unit.
The Lifebox Surgical Headlight Project: engineering, testing, and field assessment in a resource-constrained setting
No device satisfied all the predetermined specifications, and large price discrepancies were critical factors leading surgeons’ choices.
COVID-19 Preparedness Within the Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthetic Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa
This study demonstrated that communication is critical, and an effective communication plan within and between facilities, as well as between providers across the health system and even between countries, is essential and should be established immediately.
Variation in global uptake of the Surgical Safety Checklist
This Lifebox and Ariadne Labs study - published in the British Journal of Surgery - showed that, worldwide, Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) use is generally high - with an average of 75% of operations conducted with the Checklist - but significant variability exists.
Qualitative outcomes of Clean Cut: implementation lessons from reducing surgical infections in Ethiopia
The findings of this study highlight the importance of engaging hospital leadership, providers and staff in quality improvement programs, and understanding their work contexts.
Performance of a novel reusable pediatric pulse oximeter probe
This study found that the novel reusable pediatric Lifebox probe can achieve a quality SpO2 measurement within a pragmatic time range of weight‐appropriate Masimo equivalent probes.
