Imperial College London
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DrMatthewHarris

Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health

Clinical Senior Lecturer in Public Health
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 7452m.harris

 
 
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Location

 

Reynolds BuildingCharing Cross Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Skopec:2020:10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000535,
author = {Skopec, M and Grillo, A and Kureshi, A and Bhatti, Y and Harris, M},
doi = {10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000535},
journal = {BMJ Innovations},
pages = {482--490},
title = {Double standards in healthcare innovations:  the case of mosquito net mesh for hernia repair},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000535},
volume = {7},
year = {2020}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - With over two decades of evidence available including from randomised clinical trials, we explore whether the use of low-cost mosquito net mesh for inguinal hernia repair, common practice only in low-income and middle-income countries, represents a double standard in surgical care. We explore the clinical evidence, biomechanical properties and sterilisation requirements for mosquito net mesh for hernia repair and discuss the rationale for its use routinely in all settings, including in high-income settings. Considering that mosquito net mesh is as effective and safe as commercial mesh, and also with features that more closely resemble normal abdominal wall tissue, there is a strong case for its use in all settings, not just low-income and middle-income countries. In the healthcare sector specifically, either innovations should be acceptable for all contexts, or none at all. If such a double standard exists and worse, persists, it raises serious questions about the ethics of promoting healthcare innovations in some but not all contexts in terms of risks to health outcomes, equitable access, and barriers to learning.
AU  - Skopec,M
AU  - Grillo,A
AU  - Kureshi,A
AU  - Bhatti,Y
AU  - Harris,M
DO  - 10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000535
EP  - 490
PY  - 2020///
SN  - 2055-642X
SP  - 482
TI  - Double standards in healthcare innovations:  the case of mosquito net mesh for hernia repair
T2  - BMJ Innovations
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000535
UR  - https://innovations.bmj.com/content/7/2/482
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/85771
VL  - 7
ER  -
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