
Background: Most low- and middle-income communities (LMICs) live in rural areas and are served mainly by primary and district hospitals. This study seeks to geographically map these hospitals and measure their surgical care capacity in Botswana. Methods: This 3-month cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the Department of Surgery, University of Botswana. Google Map was used to map hospitals geographically. The PIPES (personnel, infrastructure, procedures, equipment, and supplies) tool was used to assess the surgical care capacity of hospitals. This tool was developed by Surgeons Overseas to quantify surgical capacity in low-resource settings. Consent was obtained. Results: Nine districts and ten primary hospitals were assessed. The distance from settlements to the nearest healthcare facility in sparsely populated areas was relatively larger, making timely healthcare access potentially problematic. Intensive care services were unavailable except at three hospitals. None of the hospitals had full blood bank services. X-ray and ultrasound machines and basic supplies were available at over 90% of the hospitals. Conclusion: There was a general lack of surgical care specialists. Hospitals with a full complement of surgical care specialists had relatively higher PIPES indices. We recommend investing in deploying specialized surgical care providers to primary and district hospitals.
Emergency Medical Services, RD1-811, Economics, Medical emergency, Health Professions, surgical services, Nursing, FOS: Health sciences, Observational study, Health Sciences, Pathology, Challenges and Solutions in Rural Health Workforce, Economic growth, Global Maternal and Child Health Outcomes, Surgical care capacity; Non-tertiary hospital; Surgical services, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Health care, Health Research Capacity, non-tertiary hospital, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, Medicine, Surgery, Global Surgery and Health Development, surgical care capacity
Emergency Medical Services, RD1-811, Economics, Medical emergency, Health Professions, surgical services, Nursing, FOS: Health sciences, Observational study, Health Sciences, Pathology, Challenges and Solutions in Rural Health Workforce, Economic growth, Global Maternal and Child Health Outcomes, Surgical care capacity; Non-tertiary hospital; Surgical services, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Health care, Health Research Capacity, non-tertiary hospital, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, Medicine, Surgery, Global Surgery and Health Development, surgical care capacity
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 3 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
