# Disparities in perioperative mortality outcomes between First Nations and non-First Nations peoples in Australia: protocol for a systematic review and planned meta-analysis

## TL;DR

This study aims to compare surgical mortality rates between First Nations and non-First Nations people in Australia to highlight health disparities.

## Contribution

The study introduces a systematic review protocol to assess perioperative mortality disparities in First Nations populations in Australia.

## Key findings

- Evidence suggests limited data on surgical outcomes for First Nations people in Australia.
- The review will use standardized tools to assess study quality and mortality outcomes.

## Abstract

Health inequities persist among First Nations people living in developed countries. Surgical care is pivotal in addressing a significant portion of the global disease burden. Evidence regarding surgical outcomes among First Nations people in Australia is limited. The perioperative mortality rate (POMR) indicates timely access to safe surgery and predicts long-term survival after major surgery. This systematic review will examine POMR among First Nations and non-First Nations peoples in Australia.

A systematic search strategy using MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, Global Health, and Scopus will identify studies that include First Nations people and non-First Nations people who underwent a surgical intervention under anaesthesia in Australia. The primary focus will be on documenting perioperative mortality outcomes. Title and abstract screening and full-text review will be conducted by independent reviewers, followed by data extraction and bias assessment using the ROBINS-E tool. Meta-analysis will be considered if there is sufficient homogeneity between studies. The quality of cumulative evidence will be evaluated following the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria.

This protocol describes the comprehensive methodology for the proposed systematic review. Evaluating disparities in perioperative mortality rates between First Nations and non-First Nations people remains essential in shaping the discourse surrounding health equity, particularly in addressing the surgical burden of disease.

PROSPERO CRD42021258970.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13643-024-02611-3.