Impact of Initial Healthcare Setting and Family Caregiving Structure on Pediatric Appendicitis Outcomes in Resource-Limited Settings: A 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study with External Validation

Topic overview

Key takeaways

• Misdiagnosis and perforation rates in pediatric appendicitis remain elevated in low- and middle-income countries, especially in younger children.
• Initial healthcare setting (primary vs. tertiary) significantly influences time to diagnosis and complication rates in resource-limited contexts.
• Family caregiving structure affects care-seeking behavior and delays, impacting perforation risk at presentation.
• Combined assessment of healthcare access and caregiving reveals synergistic effects on outcomes not captured by single-factor analyses.
• Long-term retrospective data with external validation strengthens evidence for targeted interventions in resource-constrained pediatric surgery.

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