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Freedom of choice, expressions of gratitude: Patient experiences of short-term surgical missions in Guatemala

Author

Listed:
  • Roche, Stephanie
  • Brockington, Morgan
  • Fathima, Sana
  • Nandi, Meghna
  • Silverberg, Benjamin
  • Rice, Henry E.
  • Hall-Clifford, Rachel

Abstract

Lack of surgical care has been highlighted as a critical global health problem, and short-term medical missions (STMMs) have become a de facto measure to address this shortfall. Participation in STMMs is an increasingly popular activity for foreign medical professionals to undertake in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where their clinical skills may be in short supply. While there is emerging literature on the STMM phenomenon, patient experiences of surgical missions are underrepresented. This research addresses this gap through thirty-seven in-depth interviews with patients or caregivers who received care from a short-term surgical mission within the three years prior to the four-week data collection period in July and August 2013. Interviews were conducted in Antigua, Guatemala and nearby communities, and participants came from 9 different departments of the country. These first-hand accounts of health-seeking through a surgical mission provide important insights into the benefits and challenges of STMMs that patients encounter, including waiting time, ancillary costs, and access to care. Patient agency in care-seeking is considered within the pluralistic, privatized health care context in Guatemala in which foreign participants deliver STMM care.

Suggested Citation

  • Roche, Stephanie & Brockington, Morgan & Fathima, Sana & Nandi, Meghna & Silverberg, Benjamin & Rice, Henry E. & Hall-Clifford, Rachel, 2018. "Freedom of choice, expressions of gratitude: Patient experiences of short-term surgical missions in Guatemala," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 117-125.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:208:y:2018:i:c:p:117-125
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.021
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Berry, Nicole S., 2014. "Did we do good? NGOs, conflicts of interest and the evaluation of short-term medical missions in Sololá, Guatemala," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 344-351.
    2. Carruth, Lauren, 2014. "Camel milk, amoxicillin, and a prayer: Medical pluralism and medical humanitarian aid in the Somali Region of Ethiopia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 405-412.
    3. Sykes, K.J., 2014. "Short-term medical service trips: A systematic review of the evidence," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(7), pages 38-48.
    4. Lisa M. Knowlton & Paulin Banguti & Smita Chackungal & Traychit Chanthasiri & Tiffany E. Chao & Bernice Dahn & Milliard Derbew & Debashish Dhar & Micaela M. Esquivel & Faye Evans & Simon Hendel & Drak, 2017. "A geospatial evaluation of timely access to surgical care in seven countries," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-138, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. J. Moore & M. F. Webb & A. Chary & A. Kraemer Díaz & Peter Rohloff, 2017. "Aid and Gendered Subjectivity in Rural Guatemala," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(12), pages 2164-2178, December.
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