Kelsey Brown
Background: Community health workers (CHW) have
been used to support maternal child health, HIV/AIDS,
reproductive health, non-communicable diseases, and
mental health initiatives in low and middle income countries
(LMIC). As efforts to improve access to surgery in
LMIC grow, there is great potential for the expansion
of CHW in the surgical arena. According to the Global
Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection,
surgical site infections (SSI) are occurring in 11.8
out of every 100 surgeries completed in LMIC. The need
to continue expanding access to surgical care and high
incidence of SSI in LMIC suggests an opportunity for
innovation in the use of CHW to assist in the identification
and diagnosis of SSI. This exploratory study aims
to review the key elements, limitations, and benefits of
using CHW equipped with mHealth decision support in
diagnosing SSI in LMIC.