Low-tech solution could expand surgery in low-to-middle income countries

This is the conclusion of an international team who state surgical technology - often developed for well-resourced healthcare systems - is of little or no use in poorer settings where hospitals lack support infrastructure or appropriately trained staff. 

The team, led by Leeds University, calls for a focus on creating medical devices specifically for use in low-to-middle income countries.

To this end, they have pioneered a development approach based on participatory design, where the users of the technology are closely involved in its design - and where functionality of the device is pared back to key essentials. Their findings are published in IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine.

To demonstrate their approach, the researchers designed a simplified surgical tool for performing laparoscopic - keyhole – surgery, and the result is that laparoscopic surgery can now be carried out in clinics and hospitals where it was not possible before. 

In a statement, Dr Pete Culmer, Associate Professor in Healthcare Technologies at Leeds, who supervised the research, said: “Laparoscopic surgery has benefits for patients. People recover more quickly, and the risks of cross infection are lower.