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Bredow Z, Corbett Z, Tarawally MM, Jackson L, Mansaray FT, Sesay S, Leather A. Emergency care capacity in Sierra Leone: A multicentre analysis. Afr J Emerg Med 2024; 14:58-64. [PMID: 38348097 PMCID: PMC10859259 DOI: 10.1016/j.afjem.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The Disease Control Priorities Project estimates that over 50 % of annual mortality in low- and middle-income countries can be addressed by improved emergency care. Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and Sanitation has highlighted emergency care as a national priority. We conducted the first multicentre analysis of emergency care capacity in Sierra Leone, using the Hospital Emergency Unit Assessment Tool (HEAT) to analyse 14 government hospitals across the country. Methods HEAT is a standardised assessment that is recommended in the World Health Organisation Emergency Care Toolkit. It has been used comparably elsewhere. To analyse Sierra Leone's emergency care capacity with the HEAT data, we created the HEAT-adjusted Emergency Care Capacity Score. Purposeful sampling was used to select 14 government facilities nationwide. A multidisciplinary team was interviewed over a 2-day in-person visit to each facility. Results Human Resources was the strongest parameter, scoring 49 %. All hospitals provided emergency cover 24/7. Emergency Diagnostic Services was the most severely limited parameter, scoring 29 %. 3 hospitals had no access to basic radiography. Infrastructure scored 47 %. 2 hospitals had adequate electricity supply; 5 had adequate clean, running water. No hospitals had adequate oxygen supply. Clinical services scored 39 %. 10 hospitals had no designated Emergency Unit, only 2 triaged to stratify severity. Signal functions scored 38 %. No hospitals had reliable access to emergency drugs such as adrenaline. The total HEAT-adjusted Emergency Care Capacity Score across all hospitals was 40 %. Conclusions These data identify gaps that have already led to local interventions, including focussing emergency resources to a resuscitation area, and training multidisciplinary teams in emergency care skills. This facility-level analysis could feed into wider assessment of Sierra Leone's emergency care systems at every level, which may help prioritise government strategy to target sustainable strengthening of national emergency care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zosia Bredow
- King's Global Health Partnerships, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Zoe Corbett
- King's Global Health Partnerships, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Moses Mohamed Tarawally
- King's Global Health Partnerships, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Lucy Jackson
- King's Global Health Partnerships, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Foday Tejan Mansaray
- King's Global Health Partnerships, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Santigie Sesay
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Andrew Leather
- King's Global Health Partnerships, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
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Hexom BJ, Quao NSA, Bandolin NS, Bonney J, Collier A, Dyal J, Lee JA, Nicholson BD, Rybarczyk MM, Rees CA, Roy CM, Bhaskar N, Kivlehan SM. Global Emergency Medicine: A Scoping Review of the Literature from 2022. Acad Emerg Med 2024; 31:71-85. [PMID: 37813813 DOI: 10.1111/acem.14816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective was to identify the highest quality global emergency medicine (GEM) research published in 2022. The top articles are compiled in a comprehensive list of all the year's GEM articles and narrative summaries are performed on those included. METHODS A systematic PubMed search was conducted to identify all GEM articles published in 2022 and included a manual supplemental screen of 11 organizational websites for gray literature (GRAY). A team of trained reviewers and editors screened all identified titles and abstracts, based on three case definition categories: disaster and humanitarian response (DHR), emergency care in resource-limited settings (ECRLS), and emergency medicine development (EMD). Articles meeting these definitions were independently scored by two reviewers using rubrics for original research (OR), review (RE) articles, and GRAY. Articles that scored in the top 5% from each category as well as the overall top 5% of articles were included for narrative summary. RESULTS The 2022 search identified 58,510 articles in the main review, of which 524 articles screened in for scoring, respectively, 30% and 18% increases from last year. After duplicates were removed, 36 articles were included for narrative summary. The GRAY search identified 7755 articles, of which 33 were scored and one was included for narrative summary. ECRLS remained the largest category (27; 73%), followed by DHR (7; 19%) and EMD (3; 8%). OR articles remained more common than RE articles (64% vs. 36%). CONCLUSIONS The waning of the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the continued growth in GEM literature. Articles related to prehospital care, mental health and resilience among patients and health care workers, streamlining pediatric infectious disease care, and disaster preparedness were featured in this year's review. The continued lack of EMD studies despite the global growth of GEM highlights a need for more scholarly dissemination of best practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braden J Hexom
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Nana Serwaa A Quao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Accident and Emergency Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
| | - N Shakira Bandolin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Joseph Bonney
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
- Global Health and Infectious Disease Research Group, Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Amanda Collier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan Dyal
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - J Austin Lee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Benjamin D Nicholson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Megan M Rybarczyk
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Chris A Rees
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Charlotte M Roy
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | | | - Sean M Kivlehan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Horvath S, Visekruna S, Kilpatrick K, McCallum M, Carter N. Models of care with advanced practice nurses in the emergency department: A scoping review. Int J Nurs Stud 2023; 148:104608. [PMID: 37801938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Emergency departments play a critical role in healthcare systems internationally. Visits for emergency care continue to increase, related to poor access to primary care, the COVID-19 pandemic, and health human resource issues. International literature shows similar stressors in the emergency department. Extended wait times to see health providers lead to poor outcomes, and innovative models of care are needed to address emergency department overcrowding and to meet the needs of patients. Advanced practice nurses have the expertise and scope of practice to optimize and address primary and acute care needs and could be further integrated into the emergency healthcare systems. It is unclear what and how advanced practice nurses are functioning in emergency departments to improve patient and organization outcomes. METHODS This scoping review was a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMCARE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and gray literature. Authors developed inclusion and exclusion criteria, performed title and abstract screening, and full text screening using review software. Data about models of care with advanced practice nurses were extracted and organized to understand patient, provider, and organizational outcomes. We also extracted information about the development and implementation of roles. RESULTS Of the 6780 records identified, 76 met inclusion criteria. Emergency department models of care, mainly using nurse practitioners, include fast-track, generalized emergency, minor injury, orthopedics, pediatrics, geriatrics, specific populations, and triage. Reported patient outcomes include improvement in key metrics specific to emergency departments, such as total length of stay, wait times to be seen by a provider, left without being seen rates, treatment for pain, costs, and resource use. When comparing nurse practitioners to other providers, outcomes were similar or better for patient and organizational outcomes. DISCUSSION Various models of care utilizing advanced practice nurses in emergency departments are present internationally and information about how they are developed, integrated, and utilized provides practical information to support and sustain new roles. There is an opportunity to expand the use of these roles into emergency departments as the nurse practitioner scope of practice grows. Given the current crisis across healthcare systems, there is need for innovation, and improving delivery of emergency services with these advanced practice nursing models of care can help to address important health policy priorities in Canada and other countries. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT Advanced Practice Nurse models of care in emergency - Improved outcomes for patients and organizations - A review of the literature. @SamanthaH_RN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Horvath
- School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Sanja Visekruna
- School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kelley Kilpatrick
- Susan E. French Chair in Nursing Research and Innovative Practice, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Nancy Carter
- School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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Neill R, Shawar YR, Ashraf L, Das P, Champagne SN, Kautsar H, Zia N, Michlig GJ, Bachani AM. Prioritizing rehabilitation in low- and middle-income country national health systems: a qualitative thematic synthesis and development of a policy framework. Int J Equity Health 2023; 22:91. [PMID: 37198596 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-023-01896-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a large and growing unmet need for rehabilitation - a diverse category of services that aim to improve functioning across the life course - particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Yet despite urgent calls to increase political commitment, many low- and middle-income country governments have dedicated little attention to expanding rehabilitation services. Existing policy scholarship explains how and why health issues reach the policy agenda and offers applicable evidence to advance access to physical, medical, psychosocial, and other types of rehabilitation services. Drawing from this scholarship and empirical data on rehabilitation, this paper proposes a policy framework to understand national-level prioritization of rehabilitation in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS We conducted key informant interviews with rehabilitation stakeholders in 47 countries, complemented by a purposeful review of peer-reviewed and gray literature to achieve thematic saturation. We analyzed the data abductively using a thematic synthesis methodology. Rehabilitation-specific findings were triangulated with policy theory and empirical case studies on the prioritization of other health issues to develop the framework. RESULTS The novel policy framework includes three components which shape the prioritization of rehabilitation on low- and middle-income countries' national government's health agendas. First, rehabilitation lacks a consistent problem definition, undermining the development of consensus-driven solutions which could advance the issue on policy agendas. Second, governance arrangements are fragmented within and across government ministries, between the government and its citizens, and across national and transnational actors engaged in rehabilitation service provision. Third, national legacies - particularly from civil conflict - and weaknesses in the existing health system influences both rehabilitation needs and implementation feasibility. CONCLUSIONS This framework can support stakeholders in identifying the key components impeding prioritization for rehabilitation across different national contexts. This is a crucial step for ultimately better advancing the issue on national policy agendas and improving equity in access to rehabilitation services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Neill
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Yusra Ribhi Shawar
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Blomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Lamisa Ashraf
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Priyanka Das
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Sarah N Champagne
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Hunied Kautsar
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Nukhba Zia
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Georgia J Michlig
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Abdulgafoor M Bachani
- Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street Suite E8527, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Waterstone AM, Prendergast NJ, Gongal R, Il'yasova D, Walker R. Ten Years of the Nepal Ambulance Service: Successful and Sustainable Efforts. Wilderness Environ Med 2022; 33:454-459. [PMID: 36241486 DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2022.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We describe the evolution of the nonprofit Nepal Ambulance Service (NAS) in a narrative of its 10-y history, presenting geographical, social, cultural, and financial considerations that permeated the development of NAS. We gathered narrative information from the NAS leadership and partners to detail key organizational considerations regarding the implementation and maintenance of the prehospital system in Nepal. We describe the response of NAS to the 2015 earthquake and summarize transport data for 6 mo before and 6 mo after the event. The data collected included the date and time of calls received, time to ambulance dispatch, on-scene time, time to arrival at the hospital, time until the ambulance crew was back in service, patient age and sex, chief complaints, and work shift time of the ambulance crew. To characterize the time to response and transport after the 2015 earthquake, we present the means and standard deviations of the time intervals. There was an overall increase in calls and, specifically, trauma-related calls after the 2015 earthquake. The time from a call placed to dispatch was stable, approximately 2 min, throughout the period, whereas the time from dispatch to the scene and arrival at the scene varied widely. We discuss the response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The NAS provided care to 1230 patients with COVID-19. The descriptive data show how well NAS responded to a major national disaster and the recent pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Waterstone
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
| | - Nicole J Prendergast
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | | | - Dora Il'yasova
- MTX Group Inc, Albany, NY; Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Rebecca Walker
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
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Mikton C, Campo-Tena L, Yon Y, Beaulieu M, Shawar YR. Factors shaping the global political priority of addressing elder abuse: a qualitative policy analysis. THE LANCET. HEALTHY LONGEVITY 2022; 3:e531-e539. [PMID: 36004206 PMCID: PMC9360496 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00143-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Globally, 1 in 6 people aged 60 years and older experience elder abuse in the community annually, with potentially severe physical and mental health, financial, and social consequences. Yet, elder abuse remains a low global priority. We aimed to identify the factors accounting for the low global political priority of elder abuse. Methods We systematically searched relevant peer-reviewed literature and organisational reports in multiple databases and interviewed 26 key informants in the field of elder abuse. We used policy frameworks developed by previous research into the determinants of the priority of global health issues, and a qualitative methodology to thematically analyse the literature and interviews through triangulation of the data. Findings The main factors identified were related to the nature of the issue (the inherent complexity of elder abuse, pervasive ageism, insufficient awareness and doubts about prevalence estimates, and the intractability of the issue), the policy environment (the restricted ability in the field of elder abuse to capitalise on policy windows and processes), and the capabilities of the proponents of prevention of elder abuse (disagreements over the nature of the problem and solutions, challenges in individual and organisational leadership, and an absence of alliances with other issues). Interpretation Around 25 years ago, elder abuse started to register on the global agenda. Since then, the global priority for prevention of elder abuse has barely increased. This study identifies several inter-related factors that account for the issue's low priority and opportunities for overcoming these challenges. Chief among these opportunities is the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030, a unique 10-year-long policy window to increase the political priority of the prevention of elder abuse. Funding World Health Organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Mikton
- Demographic Change and Healthy Ageing, Department of Social Determinants of Health, Division of Healthier Populations, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland,Correspondence to: Dr Christopher Mikton, Demographic Change and Healthy Ageing, Department of Social Determinants of Health, Division of Healthier Populations, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
| | - Laura Campo-Tena
- Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yongjie Yon
- Implementation and System Transformation, Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marie Beaulieu
- Université de Sherbrooke, Faculté des lettres et sciences humaines, École de travail social, Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement, CIUSSS Estrie-CHUS, QC, Canada
| | - Yusra Ribhi Shawar
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Baltimore, MD, USA
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