Interest in global health is on the rise among surgical and anesthesia trainees. In one recent survey of general surgery residents, 92 percent of respondents reported interest in international surgical electives.1 In a similar survey of 35 anesthesia residency programs, 91 percent believed that international electives had educational value, and 64 percent offered a global health opportunity.2 Unfortunately, residents face many barriers in participating in international medicine, with surveys citing funding and logistics as the most significant hindrances to global health care training. Although not every resident may have the opportunity to go abroad themselves during their training, everyone has a chance to contribute to the efforts being made in global medicine.
Lifebox is an international non-profit organization supported by ASA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists. Its mission is to make surgery and anesthesia safer by putting a pulse...
