THE PROBLEM:

The story starts with a patient that has surgery...

Thousands of surgeons complete outreach trips in low and middle income countries every year, but there is very little data collected on the impact of these surgeries on patients' lives. For the limited data that is collected, there is no standard of measurement.

Therefore, we can't track the outcome of the patient or the impact of the procedure on that person’s life. Did the surgical procedure help the patient? Did the trip and surgical services help build capacity in a sustainable manner for the local healthcare system?

The story is incomplete.

DATA - you can't improve what you can't measure: We need data to ensure safety and quality of surgical services, prove impact, and ensure sustainability for the local healthcare ecosystem.

Our effort is part of a larger conversation around accountability, outcome measurement, safety, and quality. We believe it is important to provide care in a way that is impactful to patients and their community. 

VALUES: We know that people investing in overseas projects care deeply about the mission (and don’t want to do harm). 

Surgeons don't quit until their standards are met. Operating in a low and middle income country and not being able to track the patient's outcome does not align with this culture. 

We invest in data collection and patient monitoring in the U.S. - for the purpose of avoiding complications and ensuring a successful patient outcome.  Why wouldn’t we invest in similar systems for patients we are helping/investing in overseas too?