Contact information
BIOGRAPHY:
I studied medicine at the University of Oxford, and subsequently trained in anaesthesia in Birmingham and Oxford. I now practise as an NHS consultant in the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with roles in education and simulation. Throughout my training and consultant career I have developed a strong interest in the provision of safe anaesthesia in low-income settings, with current / previous commitments to several clinical, training and research projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
Hilary Edgcombe
BM, BCh (Oxon), FRCA (Lon), MSc Global Health (KCL)
Consultant Anaesthetist
Research and training in global anaesthesia
AREAS OF INTEREST
- The anaesthetic workforce network in low-resource settings
- Training in global anaesthesia
- Co-director of the Global Anaesthesia Course, Oxford/Uganda
Safe anaesthesia is a clear prerequisite for safe surgery worldwide. Billions remain unable to access life-saving operations: an important contributor to this problem is a lack of reliable anaesthetic services.
My previous work focused on the experience of non-physician anaesthesia providers in sub-Saharan Africa, exploring how well their training prepares them for practice and the nature of their professional networks. I was also clinical lead for the LIFE project (with team members from Kenya, the Centre for Tropical Medicine and the Department of Education in Oxford), developing novel smartphone-based training tools for health workers in low-resource settings between 2016 and 2022. I am now developing research in the relevance of networks to the anaesthesia workforce in low-resource contexts, collaborating with researchers in Western Kenya and the Health Systems Collaborative in the NDM.
Key publications
Anesthesia Provider Training and Practice Models: A Survey of Africa.
Journal article
Law TJ. et al, (2019), Anesth Analg, 129, 839 - 846
Training non-physician anaesthetists in sub-Saharan Africa: a qualitative investigation of providers' perspectives.
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2019), BMJ Open, 9
Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools.
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2016), Arch Dis Child, 101, 1149 - 1152
Recent publications
International Consensus on Global Surgery Learning Objectives and Competencies.
Journal article
Hilzenrat RA. et al, (2025), Ann Surg
Communication Between Anaesthesia Providers for Clinical and Professional Purposes: A Scoping Review.
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2025), Anesthesiol Res Pract, 2025
Social resource as a critical and overlooked factor for patient safety in low-resource settings.
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2025), Front Health Serv, 5
Non-physician anaesthesia providers' perspectives on task sharing practices in Zambia and Somaliland: a qualitative study.
Journal article
Karydi KI. et al, (2024), BMJ Open, 14
Priorities for content for a short-course on postoperative care relevant for low- and middle-income countries: an e-Delphi process with training facilitators.
Journal article
Postoperative Short Course Content Study group ., (2022), Anaesthesia, 77, 570 - 579
Lessons from the design, development and implementation of a three-dimensional (3D) neonatal resuscitation training smartphone application: Life-saving Instruction for Emergencies (LIFE app).
Journal article
Wanyama C. et al, (2022), Adv Simul (Lond), 7
Attitudes Of Healthcare Workers In Low-Resource Settings To Mobile Virtual Reality Simulations For Newborn Resuscitation Training - A Report From The eHBB/mHBS Study
Conference paper
Umoren RA. et al, (2021), PEDIATRICS, 147
Review of anaesthesia workforce composition in charitable organisations
Conference paper
Kudsk-Iversen S. and Edgcombe H., (2021), ANESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA, 133, 727 - 728
Evaluation of Adaptive Feedback in a Smartphone-Based Game on Health Care Providers' Learning Gain: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Journal article
Tuti T. et al, (2020), J Med Internet Res, 22
Anaesthesia care providers employed in humanitarian settings by Médecins Sans Frontières: a retrospective observational study of 173 084 surgical cases over 10 years.
Journal article
Kudsk-Iversen S. et al, (2020), BMJ Open, 10