Surgery · Pediatrics · 1 h ago
Consensus outlines workforce needs for children’s surgery across hospital levels
A Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery consensus document sets out recommended provider types for children’s surgical care at different facility levels. Recommendations were developed through a literature review and Delphi-like process involving 441 conference participants from 50 countries, most of them from low- and middle-income countries.
- Recommendations cover 13 areas of children’s surgical care.
- 441 participants from 50 countries contributed to the process.
- Provider mix varies by facility level.
- Recommendations are consensus-based, not outcome-tested.
The Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS) published Optimal Resources for Children’s Surgery 2, a consensus document focused on the workforce needed to provide surgical care for children. The authors reviewed literature and relevant Lancet Commission on Global Surgery recommendations, then used a Delphi-like process at the GICS V conference in Manila in February 2024. A total of 441 participants from 50 countries contributed; 79% were from low- and middle-income countries. Recommendations required more than 75% agreement and were reviewed by the 20-member GICS board.
The document recommends a generalist medical practitioner at health-center level, with non-physician surgical providers also included. First-level hospitals are recommended to have generalist medical practitioners, non-physician surgical providers, and generalist practitioners with pediatric-specific training. At referring hospitals—including second- and third-level hospitals and children’s hospitals—the recommendations include generalist practitioners, non-physician surgical providers, pediatric general and specialty surgeons, and medical specialists such as cardiologists and gastroenterologists.
The consensus describes workforce configurations intended to support access and essential procedures across facility levels, with roles ranging from community health workers to subspecialists and pediatric intensive-care nurses. These are consensus recommendations rather than comparative outcome data; the abstract does not report evaluation of their effects on access, quality, or patient outcomes.
In practice
For teams and health-system planners organizing children’s surgical services, the GICS consensus recommends different provider mixes by facility level, from generalist practitioners and non-physician surgical providers at lower levels to pediatric surgeons and medical specialists at referring hospitals. It may inform workforce planning, particularly in settings where access is limited. These recommendations were reached through a Delphi-like process rather than tested against patient outcomes, so the abstract does not establish that adopting a particular staffing configuration improves access, quality, or outcomes.
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World Journal of Surgery: Optimal Resources for Children’s Surgery 2: Essential Human Resources for Optimal Children’s Surgery ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.