Perspective of Liberian surgical care providers on ethical issues in global surgical collaborations

Abstract

As the field of global surgery develops, increased attention is being paid to its ethical considerations. However, there is a dearth of research on ethical challenges in global surgery that includes the voices of providers from Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This project seeks to understand the ethical concerns, considerations, and priorities in global surgery collaborations from the perspective of surgical care providers in Liberia. Using purposive/convenience sampling methods, we recruited eight surgical care providers (surgeons [n = 3], nurses [n = 3], and general practitioners [n = 2]). Participants included six males and two females from four different sites in Liberia. All had experience in international partnerships for humanitarian surgical work in both urban and rural locations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide and transcribed using a voice recognition program. Following transcript cleaning and verification, interviews were analyzed using thematic coding with qualitative coding software. Prominent themes included justice, consent, colonial legacies, fairness, sustainability, and system strengthening. Ultimately, this study underscores the ethical complexities of surgical care delivery in low-resource settings and the need for collaborative, context-sensitive, and sustainable solutions.