RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Evaluation of the regional distribution of the pediatric surgery workforce and surgical load in Brazil
JF World Journal of Pediatric Surgery
JO World Jnl Ped Surgery
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e000522
DO 10.1136/wjps-2022-000522
VO 6
IS 2
A1 Bustorff-Silva, Joaquim
A1 Miranda, Marcio Lopes
A1 Rosendo, Amanda
A1 Gerk, Ayla
A1 Oliveira-Filho, Antonio Gonçalves
YR 2023
UL http://wjps.bmj.com/content/6/2/e000522.abstract
AB Objective The purpose of this study is to examine the regional distribution of the pediatric surgery workforce and the expected local demand for pediatric surgical procedures in Brazil.Methods We collected data on the pediatric surgical workforce, surgical volume, Gross Domestic Product per capita, and mortality for gastrointestinal tract malformations (MGITM) across the different regions of Brazil for 2019.Results Data from the Federal Medical Council reported 1515 pediatric surgery registries in Brazil, corresponding to 1414 pediatric surgeons (some pediatric surgeons are registered in more than one state), or 2.4 pediatric surgeons per 100 000 children 14 years of age and younger. There were 828 men and 586 women. The mean age was 51.5±12.8 years, and the mean time from graduation was 3.4±5.7 years. There is a higher concentration of pediatric surgeons in the wealthier Central-West, South, and Southeast regions. Individual surgical volume ranged from 88 to 245 operations/year (average 146 operations/year) depending on the region. Of these, only nine (6.1%) were high-complexity (including neonatal) operations. MGITM tended to be higher in the poorer North and Northeast regions than in other regions of Brazil.Conclusions Our findings suggest significant disparities in the surgical workforce and workload across Brazil related to socioeconomic status. Regions with an increased surgical workforce were associated with lower MGITM. The average number of complex operations performed annually by each pediatric surgeon was considerably low. Strategic investment and well-defined health policies are imperative to enhance the quality of surgical care in the different regions of Brazil.Level of evidence Retrospective review; level IV.Data are available in a public, open access repository. Data are available in a public, open-access repository. All data used for this analysis were obtained from the open-access DATASUS system from the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Data can be obtained freely from: http://tabnet.datasus.gov.br/.