Standards of neurosurgical care continue to improve in high-income countries, partly through new technologies. However, such expensive technology makes the provision of neurosurgical services in LMICs ever more prohibitively expensive. Historically, attempts have been made to develop more cost-effective technological solutions to help manage every step in the patient care pathway. Unfortunately, such affordable solutions have not proven attractive to the international marketplace.
Whilst COVID threatened to overwhelm all hospital services; it has also catalysed the rapid development and implementation of novel technology-based solutions. Self-isolation during the pandemic may have reduced the incidence of traumatic brain and spinal injury. Still, the care of all other groups of patients requiring timely neurosurgery, both elective and non-elective, was put at risk. The neurosurgical community worldwide has responded to the challenge of COVID with new research collaborations and innovative technology-based solutions, including new ways of working that promise to change how neurosurgical care is delivered in the future.
This Research Topic aims to bring together a collection of papers that have developed affordable technology-based solutions to the neurosurgical care of patients in all high, middle and low-income countries in response to the threats posed by the COVID pandemic.
We welcome the submission of manuscripts concerning technological innovations related to, but not limited to, the following topics:
1. Epidemiology of neurosurgical care during the COVID pandemic
2. Education and Training
3. Remote patient assessment and management
4. Advancing patient management at all ages throughout their care pathways from prevention and early detection through acute care and rehabilitation to reintegration into the community
5. Health economics of disruptive technologies and equitable access to neurosurgical care
6. Imaging, multimodality monitoring, including intracranial pressure, neurointensive care, neural repair and neurorehabilitation
7. Manufacture of implants
Standards of neurosurgical care continue to improve in high-income countries, partly through new technologies. However, such expensive technology makes the provision of neurosurgical services in LMICs ever more prohibitively expensive. Historically, attempts have been made to develop more cost-effective technological solutions to help manage every step in the patient care pathway. Unfortunately, such affordable solutions have not proven attractive to the international marketplace.
Whilst COVID threatened to overwhelm all hospital services; it has also catalysed the rapid development and implementation of novel technology-based solutions. Self-isolation during the pandemic may have reduced the incidence of traumatic brain and spinal injury. Still, the care of all other groups of patients requiring timely neurosurgery, both elective and non-elective, was put at risk. The neurosurgical community worldwide has responded to the challenge of COVID with new research collaborations and innovative technology-based solutions, including new ways of working that promise to change how neurosurgical care is delivered in the future.
This Research Topic aims to bring together a collection of papers that have developed affordable technology-based solutions to the neurosurgical care of patients in all high, middle and low-income countries in response to the threats posed by the COVID pandemic.
We welcome the submission of manuscripts concerning technological innovations related to, but not limited to, the following topics:
1. Epidemiology of neurosurgical care during the COVID pandemic
2. Education and Training
3. Remote patient assessment and management
4. Advancing patient management at all ages throughout their care pathways from prevention and early detection through acute care and rehabilitation to reintegration into the community
5. Health economics of disruptive technologies and equitable access to neurosurgical care
6. Imaging, multimodality monitoring, including intracranial pressure, neurointensive care, neural repair and neurorehabilitation
7. Manufacture of implants
