The Lancet: Prevention of surgical site infection in low-resource settings (2) Improving the relevance of guidelines for low-resource settings

27 November, 2021

Dear HIFA colleagues,

Sometimes a question is asked on HIFA that does not get answered straight away. I would like to challenge ourselves to respond to such questions as best we can, for the benefit of all.

An example is a message I sent on 2 November about a Lancet paper called 'Prevention of surgical site infection in low-resource settings'

https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/lancet-prevention-surgical-site-infecti...

As I noted at the end of the message: The study suggests that some international guidelines (and national adapatations) may recommend interventions that are not appropriate for low-resource settings. Presumably this research will eventually feed back to inform future international guidance on prevention of surgical wound infection. What can be done to improve not only the reliability but also the relevance (including affordability) of guidelines for low-resource settings?

If you are a frontline healthcare provider, or if you are involved in preparing clinical guidelines at global or national levels, we would like to hear from you. What can be done to improve not only the reliability but also the relevance (including affordability) of guidelines for low-resource settings?

Best wishes, Neil

Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA Coordinator, neil@hifa.org www.hifa.org