Common pediatric surgical conditions and associated health-seeking behaviors in Pakistan: An urban and rural comparative assessment.

Autor:	Qazi SH; Section of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Meerza SSA; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Lakhani S; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Dogar SA; Section of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Padhani ZA; University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia., Mirani M; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Jamali MK; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Muhammad S; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Anwar M; National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, Pakistan., Islam S; Section of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Khan S; Section of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Abbas A; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Khan ZA; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Khatoon S; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Sheikh I; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Bux R; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Ali R; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Naqvi H; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Rizvi A; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Chahudary IA; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Rashid RHU; Section of Orthopedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Abbas SA; Section of Otolaryngology & Head & Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Memon AS; Department of Ophthalmology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Tabassum S; Section of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Bhatti Z; Section of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Rehman A; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Soofi S; Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan., Das JK; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.; Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	PLOS global public health [PLOS Glob Public Health] 2024 Sep 12; Vol. 4 (9), pp. e0003327. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 12 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pgph.0003327
Abstrakt:	Approximately five billion people do not have access to necessary surgical treatment globally and up to 85% of children in LMICs are affected with conditions requiring surgical care by the age of 15 years. It is crucial to identify common surgical conditions in children in Pakistan to inform healthcare professionals and policymakers for effective resource allocation. This representative cross-sectional household survey conducted on children aged 5-10 years assessed existing surgical diseases and healthcare-seeking behaviors in the two largest provinces (Sindh and Punjab) of Pakistan. The data was collected through a validated cross-sectional survey tool [Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS)]. Caregivers were asked about their child's recent and past surgical conditions in six distinct anatomical regions and pictures were taken of identified conditions after appropriate consent for further diagnosis. Health-seeking behaviors including the kind of treatment sought, the nature of care received, and the reasons for not receiving care were noted. 13.5% of children surveyed reported a surgical condition, with a similar distribution across urban (13.2%) and rural (13.7) areas and the most common cause was trauma. The greatest number of surgical conditions were found to be on the head and neck region (57.7%), while the back accounted for the least number of conditions (1.7%). Our results outline a need for organizing all entities (governmental, non-governmental, and private) involved in child health to ensure efficient resource allocation to cater to existing surgical problems. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. (Copyright: © 2024 Qazi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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