Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Edgcombe H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5176077 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools.
Edgcombe Hilary H Paton Chris C English Mike M
Archives of disease in childhood 20160922 12
In this paper, we discuss the role of mobile technology in developing training tools for health workers, with particular reference to low-income countries (LICs). The global and technological context is outlined, followed by a summary of approaches to using and evaluating mobile technology for learning in healthcare. Finally, recommendations are made for those developing and using such tools, based on current literature and the authors' involvement in the field. ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundDespite the growing interest in the development of emergency care systems and emergency medicine (EM) as a specialty globally, there still exists a significant gap between the need for and the provision of emergency care by specialty trained providers. Many efforts to date to expand the practice of EM have focused on programs developed through partnerships between higher- and lower-resource settings.ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature to evaluate the composition of EM training programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) developed through partnerships.MethodsAn electronic search was conducted using four databases for manuscripts on EM training programs - defined as structured education and/or training in the methods, procedures, and techniques of acute or emergency care - developed through partnerships. The search produced 7702 results. Using a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria, 94 manuscripts were included. After scoring these manuscripts, a more in-depth examination of 26 of the high-scoring manuscripts was conducted.FindingsFifteen highlight programs with a focus on specific EM content (i.e. ultrasound) and 11 cover EM programs with broader scopes. All outline programs with diverse curricula and varied educational and evaluative methods spanning from short courses to full residency programs, and they target learners from medical students and nurses to mid-level providers and physicians. Challenges of EM program development through partnerships include local adaptation of international materials; addressing the local culture(s) of learning, assessment, and practice; evaluation of impact; sustainability; and funding.ConclusionsOverall, this review describes a diverse group of programs that have been or are currently being implemented through partnerships. Additionally, it highlights several areas for program development, including addressing other topic areas within EM beyond trauma and ultrasound and evaluating outcomes beyond the level of the learner. These steps to develop effective programs will further the advancement of EM as a specialty and enhance the development of effective emergency care systems globally.
| S-EPMC7304456 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn resource-constrained settings, mobile health (mHealth) has varied applications. While there is strong evidence for its use in chronic disease management, the applications of mHealth for management of acute illness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are not as well described. This review systematically explores current available evidence on the effectiveness of mHealth interventions at improving health outcomes in emergency care settings in LMICs.MethodsA systematic search of the literature was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, utilizing seven electronic databases and manual searches to identify peer-reviewed literature containing each of three search elements: mHealth, emergency care (EC), and LMICs. Articles quality was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria.ResultsAfter removing duplicates, 6498 studies met initial search criteria; 108 were eligible for full text review and 46 met criteria for inclusion. Thirty-six pertained to routine emergency care, and 10 involved complex humanitarian emergencies. Based on the GRADE criteria, 15 studies were rated as "Very Low" quality, 24 as "Low" quality, 6 as "Moderate" quality, and 1 as "High" quality. Eight studied data collection, 9 studied decision support, 15 studied direct patient care, and 14 studied health training. All 46 studies reported positive impacts of mHealth on EC in LMICs.ConclusionsMobile health interventions can be effective in improving provider-focused and patient-centered outcomes in both routine and complex EC settings. Future investigations focusing on patient-centered outcomes are needed to further validate these findings.
| S-EPMC8021077 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction:There is little research on emergency care delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To facilitate future research, we aimed to assess the set of key metrics currently used by researchers in these settings and to propose a set of standard metrics to facilitate future research. Methods:Systematic literature review of 43,109 published reports on general emergency care from 139 LMICs. Studies describing care for subsets of emergency conditions, subsets of populations, and data aggregated across multiple facilities were excluded. All facility- and patient-level statistics reported in these studies were recorded and the most commonly used metrics were identified. Results:We identified 195 studies on emergency care delivery in LMICs. There was little uniformity in either patient- or facility-level metrics reported. Patient demographics were inconsistently reported: only 33% noted average age and 63% the gender breakdown. The upper age boundary used for paediatric data varied widely, from 5 to 20 years of age. Emergency centre capacity was reported using a variety of metrics including annual patient volume (n = 175, 90%); bed count (n = 60, 31%), number of rooms (n = 48, 25%); frequently none of these metrics were reported (n = 16, 8%). Many characteristics essential to describe capabilities and performance of emergency care were not reported, including use and type of triage; level of provider training; admission rate; time to evaluation; and length of EC stay. Conclusion:We found considerable heterogeneity in reporting practices for studies of emergency care in LMICs. Standardised metrics could facilitate future analysis and interpretation of such studies, and expand the ability to generalise and compare findings across emergency care settings.
| S-EPMC6234170 | biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe objective of this review is to identify and critically evaluate the published literature on emergency medicine (EM) training programs in resource-limited health-care settings in order to provide insight for developing EM training programs in such health systems.MethodsA literature search was conducted up to the end of April 2011 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, EBM Reviews, Healthstar and Web of Science databases, using the following search terms: Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine Services, Education Training Residency Programs, Emergency Medical Systems and Medical Education, without limitation to income countries as outlined in the World Bank World Trade Indicators classification 2009-2010 (World Trade Indicators Country Classification by Region and Income, July 2009-July 2010). As the intent of the review was to identify and critically evaluate the literature readily available (published) to LMICs developing EM programs, the gray literature was not searched.ResultsThe search yielded 16 articles that met the final inclusion criteria. As the majority of articles provide a narrative description of the processes and building blocks used in developing the residency programs reported, we present our results in narrative format. By providing a summary of the lessons learned to date, we hope to provide a useful starting point for other resource-limited settings interested in establishing emergency medicine specialty training programs and hope to encourage further information exchange on this matter.ConclusionsThe results of the review indicate that EM training is in its infancy in resource-constrained health-care systems. There are few detailed reports of these programs successes and limitations, including efforts to optimize graduate retention. Despite the paucity of currently published data on the development of EM residency training programs in these settings, this review demonstrates the need for encouraging further information exchange to aid in such efforts, and the authors make specific recommendations to help guide future authors on reporting on such efforts.
| S-EPMC3718616 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Purpose of Review:Surveillance of communicable diseases is essential in all countries to prevent and control infections, to detect outbreaks and also to see the effects of interventions. The data should be reliable, and collection, analysis and feedback as well as the action based on this data should be fast. In this article, author discusses the limitations the Low Middle income Countries (LMICs) have in implementing disease surveillance and some suggestions for improvement. Recent Findings:Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) has been implemented successfully through most of the countries in Africa though they belong to low or LMIC. Major barriers for surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections in LMICs are non-availability of adequate number of healthcare personnel such as infection control personnel as well as not having an integrated healthcare system with an effective data flow. For some infections, not having proper diagnostic facilities is a major obstacle. An important capacity limitation in clinical laboratories of LMICs is identification of antimicrobial resistant organisms as well as other pathogens to species level. This affects the surveillance of infections and antimicrobial resistance. Summary:Use of modern technology, capacity building including the human resources as well as the laboratory capacity in healthcare setting, improving data communication methods, are the main recommendations made. Education and training of healthcare staff as well as educating the general public to change the attitudes of people is another aspect that we need to concentrate.
| S-EPMC7453076 | biostudies-literature
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| S-EPMC5560450 | biostudies-other
Project description:Hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases represent a growing threat to low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Mobile health technologies may improve noncommunicable disease outcomes, but LMICs lack resources to provide these services. We evaluated the efficacy of a cloud computing model using automated self-management calls plus home blood pressure (BP) monitoring as a strategy for improving systolic BPs (SBPs) and other outcomes of hypertensive patients in two LMICs.This was a randomized trial with a 6-week follow-up. Participants with high SBPs (?140?mm Hg if nondiabetic and ?130?mm Hg if diabetic) were enrolled from clinics in Honduras and Mexico. Intervention patients received weekly automated monitoring and behavior change telephone calls sent from a server in the United States, plus a home BP monitor. At baseline, control patients received BP results, hypertension information, and usual healthcare. The primary outcome, SBP, was examined for all patients in addition to a preplanned subgroup with low literacy or high hypertension information needs. Secondary outcomes included perceived health status and medication-related problems.Of the 200 patients recruited, 181 (90%) completed follow-up, and 117 of 181 had low literacy or high hypertension information needs. The median annual income was $2,900 USD, and average educational attainment was 6.5 years. At follow-up intervention patients' SBPs decreased 4.2?mm Hg relative to controls (95% confidence interval -9.1, 0.7; p=0.09). In the subgroup with high information needs, intervention patients' average SBPs decreased 8.8?mm Hg (-14.2, -3.4, p=0.002). Compared with controls, intervention patients at follow-up reported fewer depressive symptoms (p=0.004), fewer medication problems (p<0.0001), better general health (p<0.0001), and greater satisfaction with care (p?0.004).Automated telephone care management plus home BP monitors can improve outcomes for hypertensive patients in LMICs. A cloud computing model within regional telecommunication centers could make these services available in areas with limited infrastructure for patient-focused informatics support.
| S-EPMC4361160 | biostudies-literature