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Trauma intensive care in a terror-ravaged, resource-constrained setting: Are we prepared for the emerging challenge?

ABSTRACT: Introduction:Trauma in developing countries has been on the increase, a situation perpetuated by rising road traffic collisions, terrorism and firearms proliferation. Some of the victims of trauma are left with life threatening conditions requiring urgent surgical intervention and/or intensive care. The objectives of this study were to determine the pattern of major trauma needing intensive care in the region, and to determine the outcome of major trauma admitted to intensive care unit. Methods:A six-year retrospective cohort study of trauma patients needing intensive care, set in the Intensive Care Unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, North-West Nigeria. Subjects were major trauma patients admitted into the intensive care unit of the institution, identified via an admission register kept in the unit. The main outcomes measured were length of stay and mortality. Results:Trauma admissions represented 25.1% of the all intensive care admissions. Severe traumatic brain injury accounted for 32.1% of the trauma admissions, while burns accounted for 23.2%. Of the injuries, 15.5% were sustained in bomb blasts, and 8.3% were firearm injuries. The majority of the patients stayed for no more than seven days from admission. Burns patients had the worst outcomes, with 82.1% mortality. Conclusion:Major trauma contributes significantly to local intensive care admissions, with terrorism- related trauma now an emerging challenging cause of major trauma in our region. The observed poor outcomes in this study are a reflection of the quality of available intensive care, and lends credence to the concept of appropriately resourced, specialised intensive care units for optimisation of care.

SUBMITTER: Amaefule KE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6440917 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Trauma intensive care in a terror-ravaged, resource-constrained setting: Are we prepared for the emerging challenge?

Amaefule K E KE Dahiru I L IL Sule U M UM Ejagwulu F S FS Maitama M I MI Ibrahim A A

African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence 20190214 Suppl

<h4>Introduction</h4>Trauma in developing countries has been on the increase, a situation perpetuated by rising road traffic collisions, terrorism and firearms proliferation. Some of the victims of trauma are left with life threatening conditions requiring urgent surgical intervention and/or intensive care. The objectives of this study were to determine the pattern of major trauma needing intensive care in the region, and to determine the outcome of major trauma admitted to intensive care unit.< ...[more]

PMID: 30976498

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Project description:AbstractCare maps (CMs), which are innovative, comprehensive, educational, and simple medical tools, were developed for 6 common diseases, including heart failure, stroke, hyperglycemia, urinary tract infection, dengue infection, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, were implemented in a short-stay ambulatory ward. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of and level of clinician satisfaction with CMs in an ambulatory care setting.A retrospective chart review study comparing the quality of care between before and after CM implementation was conducted. The medical records of patients who were admitted to a short-stay ambulatory ward in a tertiary referral center were reviewed. Demographic data, severity of disease, quality of care, length of stay (LOS), admission cost, and CM user satisfaction were collected and recorded.The medical records of 1116 patients were evaluated. Of those, 589 and 527 patients were from before (non-CM group) and after CM (CM group) implementation, respectively. There were no significant differences between groups for age, gender, or disease-specific severity the median (interquartile range) total and essential quality scores were significantly higher in the CM group than in the non-CM group [total quality score 85.3 (75.0-92.9) vs 61.1 (50.0-75.0); P < .001, and essential quality scores 90.0 (75.0-100.0) vs 60.0 (40.6-80.0); P < .0001, respectively]. All aspects of quality of care were significantly improved between before and after CM implementation. Overall median LOS was significantly decreased from 3.8 (2.5-5.7) to 3.0 (2.0-4.9) days, but there was no significant decrease for admission cost. However, CMs were able to significantly reduce both LOS and admission cost in the infectious disease-related subgroup. Most CM users reported satisfaction with CMs.CMs were shown to be an effective tool for improving the quality of care in patients with ambulatory infectious diseases. In that patient subgroup, LOS and admission cost were both significantly reduced compared to pre-CM implementation.

Project description:Technology provides the potential to empower frontline healthcare workers with low levels of training and literacy, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. An obvious platform for achieving this aim is the smartphone, a low cost, almost ubiquitous device with good supply chain infrastructure and a general cultural acceptance for its use. In particular, the smartphone offers the opportunity to provide augmented or procedural information through active audiovisual aids to illiterate or untrained users, as described in this article. In this article, the process of refinement and iterative design of a smartphone application prototype to support perinatal surveillance in rural Guatemala for indigenous Maya lay midwives with low levels of literacy and technology exposure is described. Following on from a pilot to investigate the feasibility of this system, a two-year project to develop a robust in-field system was initiated, culminating in a randomized controlled trial of the system, which is ongoing. The development required an agile approach, with the development team working both remotely and in country to identify and solve key technical and cultural issues in close collaboration with the midwife end-users. This article describes this process and intermediate results. The application prototype was refined in two phases, with expanding numbers of end-users. Some of the key weaknesses identified in the system during the development cycles were user error when inserting and assembling cables and interacting with the 1-D ultrasound-recording interface, as well as unexpectedly poor bandwidth for data uploads in the central healthcare facility. Safety nets for these issues were developed and the resultant system was well accepted and highly utilized by the end-users. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system after full field deployment, data quality, and corruption over time, as well as general usage of the system and the volume of application support for end-users required by the in-country team was analyzed. Through iterative review of data quality and consistent use of user feedback, the volume and percentage of high quality recordings was increased monthly. Final analysis of the impact of the system on obstetrical referral volume and maternal and neonatal clinical outcomes is pending conclusion of the ongoing clinical trial.

Project description:BackgroundPoor surgical lighting represents a major patient safety issue in low-income countries. This study evaluated device performance and undertook field assessment of high-quality headlights in Ethiopia to identify critical attributes that might improve safety and encourage local use.MethodsFollowing an open call for submissions (December 2018 to January 2019), medical and technical (non-medical) headlights were identified for controlled specification testing on 14 prespecified parameters related to light quality/intensity, mounting and battery performance, including standardized illuminance measurements over time. The five highest-performing devices (differential illumination, colour rendering, spot size, mounting and battery duration) were distributed to eight Ethiopian surgeons working in resource-constrained facilities. Surgeons evaluated the devices in operating rooms, and in a comparative session rated each headlight in terms of performance and willingness to purchase.ResultsOf 25 submissions, eight headlights (6 surgical and 2 technical) met the criteria for full specification testing. Scores ranged from 8 to 12 (of 14), with differential performance in lighting, mounting and battery domains. Only two headlights met the illuminance parameters of more than 35 000 lux during initial testing, and no headlight satisfied all minimum specifications. Of the five headlights evaluated in Ethiopia, daily operation logbooks noted variability in surgeons' opinions of lighting quality (6-92 per cent) and spot size (0-92 per cent). Qualitative interviews also yielded important feedback, including preference for easy transport. Surgeons sought high quality with price sensitivity (using out-of-pocket funds) and identified the least expensive but high-functioning device as their first choice.ConclusionNo device satisfied all the predetermined specifications, and large price discrepancies were critical factors leading surgeons' choices. The favoured device is undergoing modification by the manufacturer based on design feedback so an affordable, high-quality surgical headlight crafted specifically for the needs of resource-constrained settings can be used to improve surgical safety.

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Trauma intensive care in a terror-ravaged, resource-constrained setting: Are we prepared for the emerging challenge?

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Trauma intensive care in a terror-ravaged, resource-constrained setting: Are we prepared for the emerging challenge?

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