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Assessment of Barriers to Essential Surgical Care in Two Communities in the Upper West Region, Ghana

Systematic assessments of individual-and community-level barriers to surgical care (BSC) in low-and middle-income countries that might inform potential interventions are lacking. We used a novel tool to assess BSC systematically during a surgical outreach in two communities in Upper West region, Ghana. Results were scored in three dimensions of barriers to care (acceptability, affordability, and accessibility); higher dimension scores signified less salient barriers. A total index out of 10 was derived. In total, 169 individuals participated in Nadowli (68, 40%) and in Nandom (101, 60%). Nadowli had fewer BSC than Nandom (median index 7.8 vs 7.2; p < .001). Dimension scores ranged from 10.8 to 14.5 out of 18 points. Fear or mistrust of surgical care and stigma were reported more frequently in Nandom (p < .001). Reported barriers were not always the same in each community. Systematically defining barriers to essential surgical care provides an opportunity for planning targeted interventions at the community-level.