Meeting the Need for Reconstructive Surgery in Palestine (2024-2025)

This project team set out to answer how the immense reconstructive surgery needs in Palestine can be met following the destruction of healthcare infrastructure during the war in Gaza. Their central goal was to create an actionable needs assessment and blueprint for reconstructive surgical care delivery once active conflict subsides. To achieve this, the team divided its work into three subgroups: projecting the volume of surgical need, identifying necessary resources at a granular level, and analyzing how needs are currently being addressed in Gaza. The effort involved more than 15 students and faculty, working in collaboration with physicians in the UK and Gaza, with oversight from the Palestinian Health Research Council.

One subgroup aggregated public data, including casualty reports, infrastructure information and population density, to build models predicting the scale of reconstructive surgical need under various conflict scenarios. These models are nearly finalized, with findings being prepared for publication. Another subgroup has designed a surgical capacity assessment tool, modeled after World Health Organization guidelines but tailored specifically to reconstructive surgery in conflict settings. Using the Delphi methodology, the team has engaged subject matter experts to refine the tool, which covers everything from surgical equipment and personnel to infrastructure and post-operative care.

The third subgroup has analyzed operative logs and case reports from Gaza’s hospitals to document the types of surgeries currently performed, the distribution of injuries and patient outcomes. They also launched surveys to collect real-time data in emergency departments and operating rooms, though conflict conditions have limited responses. Even so, the team’s work highlights critical resource gaps while capturing the resilience of local providers. Together, these outcomes lay the groundwork for a comprehensive, forward-looking blueprint to guide aid agencies, NGOs, and policymakers in expanding reconstructive surgery capacity in Palestine when conditions allow.

Timing

Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

Team Outputs

Meeting the Need of Reconstructive Surgery in Palestine (Interactive display presented at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, Duke University, April 16, 2025)