2000, Number 1
Specialized surgical practice in rural communities in one Mexican state
Vázquez VE, Aceves LE, López VM, Rivas JA, Vázquez BA, Barradas GMC
Full text
Language: Spanish
References: 9
Page: 18-23
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ABSTRACT
Objective: To inform the development of a highly specialized surgery program in rural areas of one state of central Mexico.Setting: Twenty-five hospitals were incorporated to the program, with a total of 6 to 120 beds. After intense promotion and training of public servants and medical personnel, integration of an interdisciplinary medical team, and gathering of the necessary resources, periodic visits were scheduled to the medical units and surgical interventions were programmed according to the specialties. Postoperative handling was in charge of the regional physicians. A total of 4,348 patients were attended.
Results: Eight-hundred-two patients were subjected to reconstructive surgery, 2,095 to ophthalmologic surgery, 1,139 to general surgery, and 129 to orthopedic surgery. The program was enthusiastically accepted, the surgeries performed allowed to rehabilitate a large amount of patients, the cost was bearable, and the social benefits were unquestionable.
Conclusion: This program must be a continuous one, and not just supported by the isolated participation of volunteers, but by a multidisciplinary team that must gradually increase its resolution capacity not just from the surgical point of view but also from other medical specialties.
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