GSU Leadership in UK for Strategic Development Meetings
GSU Hub Directors and Managers attend a multi stakeholder meeting on improving surgical training and delivery
Senior leadership teams from across our network came together in Surrey to meet collaborators on the Wellcome Leap SAVE: Surgery: assess, validate, programme. The meeting provided an excellent platform for progressing this programme which aims to advance training for laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery by harnessing advancements in training simulations and advanced patient monitoring.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the partners from Benin, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda and the UK to have in-depth face-to-face discussions about the Unit’s work across its programmes
Following the meeting in Surrey, the Hub Managers travelled to Birmingham for a bespoke management training session that covered areas ranging from organisational communications strategies to trial closeout and dissemination.
It was a hugely productive and enjoyable week, with great progress made on all fronts.
NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery Wins Award for Engagement and Impact
NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery (GSU) wins coveted award for ‘External Engagement and Impact’ at Founders Awards’ ceremony, hosted at the University of Birmingham
The Rose Sidgwick Award for External Engagement and Impact was awarded to the GSU for their academic activity that has created meaningful change at a civic, national or international level through demonstrably delivering societal benefits whether economic, social, environmental or cultural. The work of the GSU has helped to improve access to safe and affordable surgery worldwide in addition to reducing global health inequalities in low- and middle-income countries.
The Unit have directed various international clinical studies and trials that have influenced global healthcare policies such as the use of separate sterile gloves and instruments for wound closure to reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rates in patients undergoing surgery during the CHEETAH trial. The GSU cohort’s work during the Covid-19 pandemic also resulted in a Guinness World Record for ‘Most authors on a single peer-reviewed academic paper’ for research undertaken globally to improve surgical care delivered for patients both during and following the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2.
Professor Dion Morton (Unit Co-Director) was able to receive the award on behalf of the team during the award ceremony that took place on Thursday 29th June at the Great Hall, located on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus in Birmingham, UK.
You can read the official UoB press release here.
Further information on the award and ceremony that took place can be found by clicking here.
National Institute of Health Research Visit Ghana Hub
Primary funder of the GSU visit Tamale and Accra with key highlights including discussions on the orchestration of the national hub network and key issues faced by the hub team
The UK based NIHR team were given the opportunity to travel to Ghana in May where they visited several locations within the national GSU network to view various operations taking place across both the hub team and wider spoke network. The first point of call took the team to Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) where the Deputy Director of Research (Dr Adam Atiku) was able to discuss how the hospital team were able to work in partnership with the Hub and collaborate with the NIHR in regard to achieving various objectives that benefited patients locally.
Following the hospital visit, the team were taken by Dr. Bellua Sam to the Ghana Hub Data Centre where he provided an overview of the centre’s setup and primary functions. The centre has received and trained other NIHR GSU hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Bellua Sam was able to demonstrate how this aspect of the organisation integrated research work from TTH and formed an integral part of the Department of Medical Research and Innovation at the Medical School. The Department has become a research–support centre for students, staff of the University for Development Studies, and staff of TTH.
For the final leg of the journey, the UK based group flew to Accra where they were able to join high-profile colleagues from the Ghana surgical arena during a roundtable discussion at the British High Commission, where various key issues facing the hub network were discussed as a collective. Colleagues from Ghana included Dr. Ijeoma Aja and Nurse Vera Agyekum-Gyimah from Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua Spoke as well as Dr. Ralph Armah (Spoke Lead) and Nurse Zelda Robertson (Research Nurse) from the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
You can find out more on the Ghana Team by clicking here.
Checklist Developed by the GSU could Help Surgical Teams Prepare for Summer Pressures
Checklist developed using data from GreenSurg Collaborative led survey could help surgical teams in low- and middle-income countries to prepare for issues relating to global warming.
The “Operating Theatre Heatwaves Checklist” has been developed by researchers to summarise four key points that should be taken into account by clinical operation based teams when looking at the development of strategies to reduce any issues arising from prolonged periods of abnormally hot weather. The team were able to analyse data from 20 specialities across 140 UK hospitals that operated during the UK heatwave of July 2022.
From the data that was analysed during the study, the checklist asks the following questions which should be taken into account when looking to reduce the impact from prolonged periods of excessive heat:
- Do you have an operating theatre heatwave plan?
- Can your operating theatres function during heatwaves?
- Do you have a plan in the case of staff shortages?
- Is there a heatwave-related surge in emergency admissions – can surgical activity be maintained?
Members of the research team were able to present the checklist at the Faculty of Public Health Climate and Health Conference, taking place on the 21st June with a focus on the subject of “Adapting to a warming world from the UK perspective”, attended by a multitude of of professionals from the food systems, built environment and healthcare international industries.
The United Nations defines Climate Change as long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns that have been primarily driven by human activities, particularly since the 1800s. As climate change intensifies, the ramifications of raising temperatures (one of the effects of elevated greenhouse gas emissions derived from the burning of fossil fuels) will have a direct impact on us all, with the global healthcare sector being particularly prone to issues arising from increasing global temperatures.
You can view the full checklist by clicking here.
You can also view the original GreenSurg publication Elective surgical services need to start planning for summer pressures, published in April 2023 by clicking here.
Education and Training Webinar: EAGLE Study Video Available Online
You can now view the video from the online webinar that took place on Monday 5th June on the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery (GSU) Youtube channel
Anastomotic leak is a severe, potentially life-threatening complication following right colectomy. Internationally, anastomotic leak occurs after 8% of right colectomies. Prospective cohort data demonstrate that patient selection, intraoperative factors, and technical variation are risk factors for anastomotic leak. EAGLE was an international quality improvement programme to share best practice and harmonise procedures for surgeons and the theatre teams so that they might perform the best possible anastomosis for each particular patient. The study was carried out by 350+ hospitals across more than 60 countries.
The online webinar video chaired by Prof. Dion Morton provides all those working in surgical practice and research with an overview of the ground breaking global study EAGLE which is due to be published soon. The hour long video includes the following highlights:
- Study background – ESCP RH Audit
- Panel Discussion – Why is a Study Required?
- EAGLE Study Design
- EAGLE High Level Results
- Breakout Room – Introduction to Research Methodology
- Panel Discussion – Could the QI Intervention be Implemented in Practice?
- Future Directions
You can view the video by clicking here.
More information on EAGLE can be viewed by clicking here with further information on the Education and Training Programme viewable by clicking here.
HIPPO Webinar: Next Steps of the Study Discussed
HIPPO webinar will provide an opportunity for study participants to have questions answered, in addition to a discussion on the next steps of the study
When is it?: Thursday 22nd June – 5PM UK BST
Saturday 24th June – 11AM UK BST
Following on from the data collection window ending on the 21st May, the HIPPO study team will be hosting the next in their series of the online Q&A events. The webinar will also feature a discussion on the next steps of the study that will feature information on the completion of the authorship form and centre survey, with a further discussion on data checking also taking place.
The HIPPO Steering Committee will be hosting the event that will be attending by a range of clinicians and allied healthcare professionals from 81 countries globally.
You can register for the event by clicking here.
For more information on the HIPPO study, click here.
GECKO Study Promoted at the Mexican Association of Endoscopic Surgery Receives Positive Feedback
Mexico Hub Director discusses GECKO study at XXXI Endoscopic Surgery International Conference by the Mexican Association of Endoscopic Surgery (Asociación Mexicana de Cirugía Endoscópica – AMCE) in Mexico
Mexico Hub Director, Dr Antonio Ramos-De la Medina took part in the national conference, held in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico on May 5th where he was able to provide an update on various GSU workstreams to the audience in attendance. During his time on stage, Dr. Ramos-De la Medina presented on the results from the completed FALCON and CHEETAH trials, in addition to providing an overview of the GECKO study that has to date seen 1200 across the globe sign-up to take part.
Feedback following the presentation at the national event, attended by a multitude of clinicians and allied health professionals from across Mexico was positive with Mexico Hub Manager, Dr Laura Martinez Pérez Maldonado mentioning that the presentation and promotion of GECKO received many positive comments as well as generating great interest in the study.
The GECKO study will evaluate global variation and outcomes for cholecystectomy (surgical operation involving the removal of the gallbladder) which is one of the most common surgical operations carried out globally.
You can find out more on the recently launched GECKO study by clicking here.
More information on the the Mexico Hub can be found by clicking here.
Latest Publication Asks Surgeons to Look Beyond the Operating Theatre to Save Lives Globally
Experts from the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery (GSU) propose three priority areas for surgery in publication for The Lancet
The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, originally published in 2015 focused on lessening the healthcare based disparities faced by populations around the globe through the provision of high-quality surgical and anaesthesia care with financial protection when needed. The publication’s purpose was to achieve this vision through highlighting the importance of embedding of surgery within the global health agenda, galvanising political change, and defining scalable solutions for provision of quality surgical and anaesthesia care for all.
The publication in The Lancet from the GSU Collaborative have identified three key areas that have the most potential to reduce major causes of death and improve surgical access of care to all:
- Access, equity, and public health must be recognised as crucial issues for surgery – surgery has a key role in addressing global health challenges such as trauma, congenital anomalies, safe childbirth, and non-communicable diseases
- Inclusion and diversity must improve in both surgical research and the profession – advancing inclusion and diversity will ensure a research agenda that delivers a pragmatic and appropriate research reflecting the needs of all
- Climate change is the greatest global health threat facing the world – moving towards net-zero operating practices would reduce carbon emissions and enable surgeons/ policy makers to reassess the role of surgery within healthcare
The publication argues that despite the problems of large waiting lists and economic squeezes on health systems, focusing on these three key areas will ensure that surgical care can become a fundamental element of universal healthcare provision for all that will ultimately deliver major improvements in population health across the globe.
You can read more on the recently published article Surgical research – comic opera no more by clicking here.
You can also read further information on the publication in the University of Birmingham press release by clicking here.
Education and Training Webinar: EAGLE safe-anastomosis study
New webinar will look at the results from the recently completed EAGLE study
When is it?: Monday the 5th of June 2023 – 11:00 & 18:00 (GMT) – A 1hr webinar repeated twice during the day.
Who should attend?: Surgeons, surgical researchers, surgical nurses, scrub techs, ODPs and allied healthcare professionals
Hosted by: NIHR Global Health Research Unit Hashtag: #eagle2023
Anastomotic leak is a severe, potentially life-threatening complication following right colectomy. Internationally, anastomotic leak occurs after 8% of right colectomies. Prospective cohort data demonstrate that patient selection, intraoperative factors, and technical variation are risk factors for anastomotic leak. EAGLE was an international quality improvement programme to share best practice and harmonise procedures for surgeons and the theatre teams so that they might perform the best possible anastomosis for each particular patient. The study was carried out by 350+ hospitals across more than 60 countries.
This online webinar chaired by Prof. Dion Morton will provide all those working in surgical practice and research with an overview of the ground breaking global study EAGLE which is due to be published soon.
The main session will include three key presentations on (1) background and impact of anastomotic leak, (2) the design of the EAGLE study and (3) the headline results of the EAGLE study.
The format of the event includes a panel presentation of global experts discussing how the research was conducted, what the results showed, and the potential impact on surgical practice. There will be breakout sessions looking specifically at 2 key perspectives on the research (1) research methodology and results and (2) process evaluation. The webinar will conclude with a round table discussion of global experts discussing how these results can be implemented across the globe.
Register now to attend this ground breaking event
Register for the 11:00AM (UK BST) session using this form.
Or the 6:00PM (UK BST) session using this form.
You can also view Professor Dion Morton deliver a short promotional overview of the upcoming webinar by clicking here.
For instructions on how to use the Zoom meeting portal, desktop/ PC users click here for more information and iPhone/ Android users click here for further info.
NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery (GSU) Attends 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva
Attendance at The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) event enabled the GSU to identify pathways for Unit research to impact on global health policy
The event that took place in Geneva, Switzerland on the 23rd May was attended by GSU colleagues from the University of Birmingham who were able to join peers within the arena of surgical care at the GSF side event. The side event at the GSF 76th World Health Assembly looked at 'Strengthening Health Systems through upscaling Surgical Care' with participation from a multitude of countries including Croatia, Ecuador, Japan, Malaysia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.
The event provided colleagues from the GSU the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the current landscape of implementing surgical care systems on a global scale whilst also enabling the team to discuss pathways for the Unit to have completed research impact on international healthcare policy. The event hosted by The GSF, along with several co-sponsoring member states, also looked at the role of sustainable financing which is currently seen as a key topic within the delivery of surgical care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
You can find out more on how the NIHR GSU is improving global surgical outcomes through collaborative research by clicking here.