Purpose
Limited access and resources in low- and middle-income countries leave many individuals
deprived of medical care. Surgical mission trips offer a solution to provide sound
surgical care to underserved areas but require a sizable financial support. Previous
analyses of such trips have not included values of donated supplies and costs borne
by the host country. We hypothesized that the orthopedic mission trips, utilizing
the World Pediatric Project (WPP) model, can be executed in a cost-effective manner
according to the World Health Organization thresholds even when considering cost to
the organizations and host country.
Methods
World Pediatric Project records for the most recent pediatric upper extremity orthopedic
mission trips of 2016, 2018, and 2019 were obtained. Cost estimates were based on
documentation from each of the mission trips. Total costs included the costs borne
by the WPP, estimates of the value of donated supplies, and costs borne by the host
country. The cost-effectiveness of the surgical mission trips was determined by the
total cost and potential benefit of performing the orthopedic surgeries using disability-adjusted
life years averted.
Results
Three separate mission trips to St. Vincent and the Grenadines were analyzed. Forty-five
pediatric patients had received surgical care. The cost was calculated to be $431.50
per disability-adjusted life years averted when only the WPP costs are considered;
including donated supplies and cost borne by the host country in the total cost, the
cost was $6898.10 per disability-adjusted life years averted. After comparing the
cost values to the per capita gross domestic product of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
$7,463.54, the WPP mission trips were determined to be cost-effective according to
the WHO-CHOICE thresholds in all 5 categories.
Conclusions
Orthopedic medical mission trips can provide cost-effective surgical treatments for
the upper extremity even when the costs to the organization and host country and trip
donations are considered.
Type of study/level of evidence
Economic/Decision Analysis III.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 18, 2021
Accepted:
October 6,
2021
Received:
December 3,
2020
Footnotes
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.
