Refocusing cataract surgery through an interdisciplinary lens: A case study of Spain, Cuba, and Guatemala
Kopel, Kathleen B.
2012
- In the twenty-first century, non-communicable chronic diseases are becoming prevalent among the elderly populations globally, which necessitate health policy reform to address medical challenges and to close the gap in health disparities. Many of the health reforms necessary to address these medical challenges require reconfigurations of economies and healthcare infrastructures. However, some ... read moredisparities have short-term and affordable solutions, such as those related to cataract surgery. In order to examine how cataract surgery can be expanded in different developmental climates, this study examined cataract surgery patterns in Guatemala, Cuba, and Spain. As an interdisciplinary study, this analysis draws upon resources from several different disciplines in an effort to understand the unique features of cataract surgery in each country. We found that each state needs to expand cataract surgery, taking into account each country's particular social, cultural, and economic features; recommendations were made accordingly. Specifically, to expand cataract surgery, Guatemala should bridge the gap between biomedicine and ethnomedicine, Spain needs to collaborate internationally with Latin American surgical providers, and Cuba needs to open up its privatized medical services to its citizens. In addition, these countries should capitalize upon historical, cultural, and economic connections to foster medical exchange. In synthesis, this study finds that cataract surgery expansion must be planned and tailored according to the specific needs of its setting. Governments, NGO's, and providers in general need to make serious investments in understanding local climate in order to expand and develop cataract surgery within that climate These findings are consistent with global problems in uptake related to cataract surgery and biomedical interventions in general. Although important, the results of this study should not represent the end of investigation in this field and this research should be used as model for the necessarily interdisciplinary nature of tackling global health disparities.read less
- ID:
- cv43p784v
- Component ID:
- tufts:UA005.043.001.00001
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
- Usage:
- Detailed Rights
