Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
Acute care needs in a rural Sub-Saharan African Emergency Centre: A retrospective analysis
African Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 2, No. 4, Year 2012
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Introduction: In June of 2008, Karoli Lwanga ("Nyakibale") Hospital and Global Emergency Care Collaborative (GECC) opened the first functional Emergency Centre (EC) in rural Uganda. GECC is developing a training programme for a new cadre of midlevel Emergency Care Practitioners (ECPs), to increase access to quality emergency care. In order to determine the skills and resources needed, the unique practice demographics and the feasibility of treating patients in this setting must be understood. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of the first 500 consecutive patient visits in the EC's patient care log was reviewed. Data on demographics, procedures performed, laboratory testing, bedside ultrasounds (USs) performed, radiographs (XRs) ordered, diagnoses, condition upon discharge and disposition were collated. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: Of the first 500 patient visits, there were 275 (55%) male visits and 132 (26.4%) visits for children under five. Procedures were performed in 367 (73.4%) patients. Laboratory testing, XRs and USs were performed in 188 (37.6%), 99 (19.8%) and 45 (7%) patients, respectively. Infectious diseases were diagnosed in 217 (43.4%) patients; traumatic injuries in 140 (28%) patients. Only one patient expired in the ED, and 401 (80.2%) were in good condition after treatment. One person was transferred to another hospital. After treatment, 180 (36%) patients were discharged home. Only five (1.0%) patients went directly to the operating theatre. Conclusions: This pilot study describes the patient population, resource and training needs of a rural Emergency Centre in SSA. It demonstrates that acute care providers will be required to evaluate a wide variety of patient complaints, effectively utilise laboratory and radiologic testing, and perform numerous focused treatments and therapies. Specialised training programmes, such as GECC's ECP programme, are needed to create providers able to provide high quality, lifesaving care. © 2012 African Federation for Emergency Medicine. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Periyanayagam, Usha
United States, Evanston
Northwestern University
Dreifuss, Bradley A.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
Hammerstedt, Heather S.
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
United States, Boise
Idaho Emergency Physicians
Chamberlain, Stacey L.
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
United States, Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
Nelson, Sara W.
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
United States, Portland
Maine Medical Center
Bosco, Kamugisha Jon
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
Uganda
Karoli Lwanga Hospital
Pellone, Koshaba
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
Uganda
Karoli Lwanga Hospital
Bisanzo, Mark C.
United States, Oak Park
Global Emergency Care Collaborative
United States, Worcester
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Statistics
Citations: 26
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 8
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.afjem.2012.09.002
ISSN:
2211419X
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Maternal And Child Health
Violence And Injury
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Uganda
Participants Gender
Male