Surgical Interventions in Public Health: Enhancing Surgical Care in Underserved Communities

Abstract

Surgical interventions in underserved populations using a public health lens have not been explored to the extent of research conducted in surgery worldwide. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to investigate this potential rationale for underserved communities. This paper features a discussion of the background of surgical care in public health along with the issues causing disparities in underserved communities. Following this discussion, the article covers the use of innovative strategies to improve the quality and access of surgical care in the underserved populations. In total, the essay aims to serve as an informative piece for any policymaker or health professional and discuss the ability of surgical care to address varying public health concerns within the remainder of the paper. Through and through, surgery plays an integral role in public health. However, individuals living in underserved regions are disproportionately affected by this lack of care—referred to as the surgical care gap. A few populations in the United States that are known to have inadequate access to care will be used as examples henceforth in this paper, though large numbers of individuals are left behind globally as a result of a myriad of other variables. These groups include individuals who are homeless, live in rural communities lacking surgical care, and those who may find it excessively difficult to travel to healthcare locations. It is necessary to address the disparities in both the availability of surgical care as well as its quality. In order to reduce these inequities, approaches can be employed to address the issues at large and improve individual and community health. (Jayaram et al.2021)