Researchers examined post-surgery death rates in 58 countries, following 10,745 patients for up to 30 days after they underwent emergency abdominal surgery, and mapped it against the Human Development Index of each country.
After adjusting for patient-specific factors, the researchers found death rates to be three times higher in poorer countries than richer ones.
“The association between increasingly [sic] mortality and lower income countries might be explained by differences in prognosis, in treatment or maybe both,” said Aneel Bhangu, one of the researchers. “What we can say is that our study highlights the significant disparity between countries, and an urgent need to address it.”
More articles on patient safety:
These 7 surgical procedures account for most complications, deaths and costs
Hospital patients who skip meals have increased risk of death
Medical errors are No. 3 cause of death in the US, study unveils