BACKGROUND: 

The populations of the East, Central, and Southern African regions receive only a fraction of the surgical procedures they require, and patients are more likely to die after surgery than the global average. An insufficient anesthetic workforce is a key barrier to safe surgery. The anesthetic workforce in this region includes anesthesiologists and nonphysician anesthesia providers. A detailed understanding of the anesthesiologist workforce in East, Central, and Southern Africa is required to devise strategies for the training, retention, and distribution of the workforce.

METHODS: 

A cross-sectional study of the anesthesiologist workforce of the 8 member countries of the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central, and Southern Africa (CANECSA) was undertaken. Data collection took place between May 2020 and September 2020 using existing databases and was validated through direct contact with anesthesiologists and other hospital staff. Primary outcomes were: total number of anesthesiologists in the region and their demographics, including gender, age, country of practice, current work location, country of origin, and country where they received their initial anesthesia qualification.

RESULTS: 

Within the CANECSA member countries, 411 qualified anesthesiologists were identified (0.19 per 100,000 population). The median age was 41 years, and one-third were women. The majority (67.5%) were based in urban areas with a population >1 million people, and most are used by government institutions (61.6%). Most anesthesiologists in the region were trained (89.1%) and currently work (95.1%) in their home country.

CONCLUSIONS: 

The numbers of anesthesiologists in CANECSA member countries are extremely low—about 5% of the minimum recommended figures—and poorly distributed relative to the population. Strategies are required to expand the anesthesia workforce and address maldistribution.

中文翻译：

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东非、中非和南部非洲的专科麻醉师队伍：一项横断面研究

背景： 

东非、中非和南部非洲地区的人口只接受了他们所需外科手术的一小部分，患者在手术后死亡的可能性高于全球平均水平。麻醉人员不足是安全手术的主要障碍。该地区的麻醉人员包括麻醉师和非医师麻醉提供者。需要详细了解东非、中非和南部非洲的麻醉师劳动力，才能制定劳动力的培训、保留和分配策略。

方法： 

对东部、中部和南部非洲麻醉医师协会 (CANECSA) 8 个成员国的麻醉医师队伍进行了横断面研究。数据收集于 2020 年 5 月至 2020 年 9 月期间使用现有数据库进行，并通过与麻醉师和其他医院工作人员的直接联系进行验证。主要结果是：该地区的麻醉师总数及其人口统计数据，包括性别、年龄、执业国家、当前工作地点、原籍国以及他们获得初始麻醉资格的国家。

结果： 

在 CANECSA 成员国中，确定了 411 名合格的麻醉师（每 100,000 人中有 0.19 名）。中位年龄为 41 岁，三分之一是女性。大多数 (67.5%) 位于人口超过 100 万的城市地区，并且大多数由政府机构使用 (61.6%)。该地区的大多数麻醉师都接受过培训 (89.1%)，目前在本国工作 (95.1%)。

结论： 

CANECSA 成员国的麻醉师人数极少——大约是最低推荐人数的 5%——并且相对于人口分布不均。需要制定战略来扩大麻醉人员队伍并解决分布不均的问题。