Assessing the impact of short-term surgical education on practice: a retrospective study of the introduction of mesh for inguinal hernia repair in sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract

Inguinal hernia repair is the most common general surgery operation performed globally. However, the adoption of tension-free hernia repair with mesh has been limited in low-income settings, largely due to a lack of technical training and resources. The present study evaluates the impact of a 2-day training course instructing use of polypropylene mesh for inguinal hernia repair on the practice patterns of sub-Saharan African physicians.