Ethics in Global Surgery

Abstract

Global surgery is the provision of surgical care in resource-constrained settings, usually in underdeveloped areas or countries. The context of this care creates a situation in which ethical issues are different from, and arguably, more frequent than, ethical issues in resource rich settings. The focus of this chapter is on global surgical missions in which providers from resourceful settings travel to settings with poor or limited resources to provide surgical care. This chapter begins with a description of the burden of surgical disease worldwide and a discussion of the value of making the treatment of surgical disease in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) a priority. It then describes the benchmarks which organizations should strive to achieve in developing and reviewing global surgical missions. Finally, it presents a methodology for identifying, addressing, and resolving ethical issues that do arise during global surgical missions.