Background The Surgeons OverSeas assessment of surgical need (SOSAS) tool, a population-based survey on
surgical conditions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), was performed in Sierra Leone and Rwanda. This
pilot study in Nepal is the initial implementation of the SOSAS survey in South Asia.
Methods A pilot study of SOSAS, modified for Nepal’s needs and reprogrammed using mobile data collection
software, was undertaken in Pokhara in January 2014. Cluster randomized sampling was utilized to interview 100
individuals in 50 households within two wards of Pokhara, one rural and one urban. The first portion of the survey
retrieved demographic data, including household members and time to nearest health facilities. The second portion
interviewed two randomly selected individuals from each household, inquiring about surgical conditions covering six
anatomical regions.
Results The pilot SOSAS in Nepal was easily completed over 3 days, including training of 18 Nepali interns over
2 days. The response rate was 100 %. A total of 13 respondents had a current surgical need (face 4, chest 1, back 1,
abdomen 1, groin 3, extremity 3), although eight reported there was no need for surgical care. Five respondents (5 %)
had a current unmet surgical need.