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), Anesthesia & Analgesia, 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, e026218 - e026218
Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2016), Archives of Disease in Childhood, 101, 1149 - 1152
Recent publications
International Consensus on Global Surgery Learning Objectives and Competencies.
Journal article
Hilzenrat RA. et al, (2025), Annals of surgery
Communication Between Anaesthesia Providers for Clinical and Professional Purposes: A Scoping Review
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2025), Anesthesiology Research and Practice, 2025
Social resource as a critical and overlooked factor for patient safety in low-resource settings.
Journal article
Edgcombe H. et al, (2025), Frontiers in health services, 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, e078939 - e078939
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), Advances in Simulation, 7
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
(2022), Anaesthesia, 77, 570 - 579
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), Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22, e17100 - e17100