Percentage of cesarean sections among total surgical procedures in sub-Saharan Africa: possible indicator of the overall adequacy of surgical care

World J Surg. 2010 Sep;34(9):2007-8. doi: 10.1007/s00268-010-0653-7.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess emergency and essential surgical care in low-income countries, review of the literature to obtain data on the number of cesarean sections, and compare the results with the total number of all operations. This cesarean section/total operations ratio was much higher for low-income countries than for high-income countries. We recommend more research into the validity of this tool for use as a possible proxy indicator for overall adequacy of emergency and essential surgical care.

MeSH terms

  • Africa South of the Sahara
  • Cesarean Section / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Quality Indicators, Health Care
  • Sierra Leone