Laparoscopy in the public health system in Ecuador: An evaluation of the status quo and the education in minimally invasive surgery

Abstract

The following study describes the use of laparoscopic surgery in the public hospitals of the Ecuadorian ministry of public health in Quito, Ecuador in the year 2008. The aim of the present study was the description of the recent situation of laparoscopic surgery in the public sector of the Ecuadorian capital, the level of training and education of laparoscopists, and the determination of missing factors in the educational programs in minimally invasive surgery in Ecuador. We analyzed the use of laparoscopic approach in correlation to the specialty and the diagnosis. The results revealed that in many diagnoses, the standard surgical approach still is the laparotomy. The discrepancy between general surgery, gynecology, and urology in the use of minimally invasive surgery in the public health system shows the different educational levels and the need of training programs at university level and in the hospitals especially in gynecology. © Springer-Verlag 2011.