INTRODUCTION Improved HIV outcomes as a result of expanded antiretroviral therapy (ART) access is threatened by increasing rates of loss to follow up (LTFU) among those on ART, largely reported in urban populations. Some reports suggest that LTFU rates are overestimated due to patient movement to other facilities and inadequate medical records. STUDY OBJECTIVE To define the proportion disenga...

Ghana, a developing country in West Africa, has major medical burdens in taking care of a large population with limited resources. Its three medical schools produce more than 200 graduates per year, but most emigrate to developed lands after training. Ghana is working to educate and retain locally trained physicians, but it is difficult to get them to work in rural settings where the need is gr...

OBJECTIVE To study the postoperative visual function and uptake of refraction and second-eye surgery among persons undergoing cataract surgery in rural China. METHODS Self-reported visual function was measured 10 to 14 months after surgery. Subjects with improvement of 2 or more lines with refraction were offered glasses, and those with significant cataract were offered second-eye surgery. ...

IMPORTANCE Socially responsible surgery (SRS) integrates surgery and public health, providing a framework for research, advocacy, education, and clinical practice to address the social barriers of health that decrease surgical access and worsen surgical outcomes in underserved patient populations. These patients face disparities in both health and in health care, which can be effectively addres...

BACKGROUND To evaluate cataract surgical outcomes in four rural districts of Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS Post-cataract surgery patients sampled randomly from facilities in four rural districts of Ha Tinh Province >3 months after surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Postoperative visual acuity (VA), visual function and quality of life. RESULTS Among 41...

OBJECTIVES To assess the feasibility of using mobile communication technology in completing a 30-day follow-up of surgical site infection (SSI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS SSIs are infections occurring up to 30 days after an operative procedure. This prospective exploratory study was conducted in a cohort of patients who were admitted and operated on in the general surgery wards of a rural hospital...

BACKGROUND In Thailand, the inequitable distribution of doctors between rural and urban areas has a major impact on access to care for those living in rural communities. The rural medical education programme 'Collaborative Project to Increase Rural Doctors (CPIRD)' was implemented in 1994 with the aim of attracting and retaining rural doctors. This study examined the impact of CPIRD in relation...

This article is a comparison of the characteristics of hospitals serving the general population and Medicaid recipients in California and Michigan, using data from Medicaid uniform claims files and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey for 1984. A greater concentration of discharges in a small number of "high Medicaid volume" urban and rural hospitals in each State was observed for Me...