Postoperative mortality in Africa is twice that of wealthier countries. The SMARTER trial underscores this critical issue and aims to address the high mortality rates by harnessing a readily available resource requiring minimal funding. Conducted in Mbale, Uganda, this innovative trial trained family members to monitor basic vital signs following surgery. This task is usually performed by healthcare workers who are often a limited resource in low- and middle-income settings. Although the results demonstrate a potential for increasing the capacity to rescue in the postoperative period, there is a need for further research to assess real-world effectiveness. Any improvement in patient monitoring would be limited by the system's capacity to respond effectively to escalations made by family members and the possible inaccuracy of their monitoring. Intervening earlier in the preoperative pathway can reduce the need to rescue postoperatively, but the SMARTER intervention has the potential to contribute to the larger effort needed to reduce surgical deaths globally in resource-limited settings.

中文翻译：

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在资源有限的环境中与家人分担任务，以便及早发现术后并发症。


非洲的术后死亡率是较富裕国家的两倍。SMARTER 试验强调了这一关键问题，旨在通过利用需要最少资金的现成资源来解决高死亡率问题。这项创新试验在乌干达 Mbale 进行，培训家庭成员监测手术后的基本生命体征。这项任务通常由医护人员执行，他们在低收入和中等收入环境中通常是有限的资源。尽管结果表明有可能提高术后的抢救能力，但需要进一步研究以评估实际有效性。患者监测的任何改进都将受到系统有效响应家庭成员上报的能力以及他们监测可能不准确的能力的限制。在术前路径的早期干预可以减少术后抢救的需要，但 SMARTER 干预有可能有助于在资源有限的环境中减少全球手术死亡所需的更大努力。