Research note: Syrian hospitals face critical gaps in human and material resources

Yale School of Medicine researchers collaborated with partners in Syria and Canada to conduct the first comprehensive, nationwide survey of trauma hospitals inside Syria.

Yale School of Medicine researchers collaborated with partners in Syria and Canada to conduct the first comprehensive, nationwide survey of trauma hospitals inside Syria. In a study published in JAMA Surgery, they report that 94 hospitals provided operative trauma care services, and that in addition to immense security risks, these hospitals face critical shortages in trained staff and life-saving equipment — such as x-ray machines, CT scanners, and ventilators. The investigators found that Syrian trauma hospitals are in need of additional resources to support the staff members who are running these facilities in the war zone. The hospitals also require non-traditional supports, like strengthened internet coverage near the borders to allow access to online resources and facilitate communications between hospitals for consults and patient transports where no telephone networks remain. Additional research and training is needed to meet the needs of hospitals in the war-torn country, said Dr. Hani Mowafi, the study’s first author and assistant professor of emergency medicine.

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Ziba Kashef: ziba.kashef@yale.edu, 203-436-9317