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Review
. 2022 Oct 25:2:101662.
doi: 10.1016/j.bas.2022.101662. eCollection 2022.

Peripheral nerve surgery in Serbia: "Think global, act local" and the privilege of service

Lukas Rasulić  1   2 , Mariano Socolovsky  3 , Christian Heinen  4 , Andreas Demetriades  5 , Milan Lepić  6 , Nathan A Shlobin  7 , Andrija Savić  1   2 , Jovan Grujić  1   2 , Stefan Mandić-Rajčević  8 , Sanja Lepić  9 , Miroslav Samardžic  1   2 ; WFNS Peripheral Nerve Surgery Committee Task Force (Contributors)
Affiliations
Review

Peripheral nerve surgery in Serbia: "Think global, act local" and the privilege of service

Lukas Rasulić et al. Brain Spine. .

Abstract

Introduction: The phrase "think globally, act locally", which has often been used to refer to conservation of the environment, highlights the importance of maintaining a holistic perspective and stipulates that each individual has a role to play in their community and larger world. Although peripheral nerve surgery has been largely unemphasized in global neurosurgical efforts, a wide disparity in peripheral nerve surgery is presumed to exist between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Serbia is an upper middle-income country with a long history of peripheral nerve surgery.

Research question: How can understanding the development of peripheral nerve surgery in Serbia advance global education and improve peripheral nerve surgery worldwide?

Material and methods: An anecdotal and narrative review of recent advances in peripheral nerve surgery in Serbia was conducted. The World Federation of Neurosurgical Society (WFNS) Peripheral Nerve Surgery Committee discussions on improving peripheral nerve surgery education were summarized.

Results: In this manuscript, we describe the application of "think globally, act locally" to peripheral nerve surgery by providing an account of the development of peripheral nerve surgery in Serbia. Then, we report measures taken by the WFNS Peripheral Nerve Surgery Committee to improve education on peripheral nerve surgery in LMICs.

Discussion and conclusion: Viewing the development of peripheral nerve surgery in Serbia through the lens of "think globally, act locally" may guide the development of peripheral nerve surgery in LMICs.

Keywords: Global health; Global neurosurgery; Global surgery; Neurosurgery; Peripheral nerve surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participants of the 2nd Theoretical, Practical & Hands-on International Course in Peripheral Nerve and Brachial Plexus Surgery held in 2017. in Belgrade, Serbia, with a high number of participants from all over the world.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Representatives of the WFNS, Organizing and Scientific Committees during the 1st WFNS International Meeting in 2019. Belgrade, Serbia. In picture are (from left to right): Franco Servadei, Ihsan Solaroğlu, Ioan Stefan Florian, Marco Cenzato, Francesco Tomasello, and Lukas Rasulić.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Cover for the “Surgery of Peripheral Nervous System: Multidisciplinary Approach” book in Serbian.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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