Flying Blind: Early Outcomes Following Implementation of Formal Critical Care Services in a Low-Resource Setting

ObjectiveThis study used a nationally representative sample from Tanzania as an example of low-resource setting with a high burden of maternal and newborn deaths, to assess the availability and readiness of health facilities to provide basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC) and its associated factors.DesignHealth facility-based cross-sectional survey.SettingWe analysed data for obstetric and newborn care services obtained from the 2014–2015 Tanzania Service Provision Assessment survey, using WHO-Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool.Primary and secondary outcome measuresAvailability of seven signal functions was measured based on the provision of ‘parental administration of antibiotic’, ‘parental administration of oxytocic’, ‘parental administration of anticonvulsants’, ‘assisted vaginal delivery’, ‘manual removal of placenta’, ‘manual removal of retained products of conception’ and ‘neonatal resuscitation’. Readiness was a composite variable measured based on the availability of supportive items categorised into three domains: staff training, diagnostic equipment and basic medicines.ResultsOut of 1188 facilities, 905 (76.2%) were reported to provide obstetric and newborn care services and therefore were included in the analysis of the current study. Overall availability of seven signal functions and average readiness score were consistently higher among hospitals than health centres and dispensaries (p<0.001). Furthermore, the type of facility, performing quality assurance, regular reviewing of maternal and newborn deaths, reviewing clients’ opinion and number of delivery beds per facility were significantly associated with readiness to provide BEmONC.ConclusionThe study findings show disparities in the availability and readiness to provide BEmONC among health facilities in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Ministry of Health should emphasise quality assurance efforts and systematic maternal and newborn death audits. Health leadership should fairly distribute clinical guidelines, essential medicines, equipment and refresher trainings to improve availability and quality BEmONC.

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Nursing Care of Low-Risk Newborns in Low Resource Setting: Nurses' Aides May Bridge the Gap at Community Hospitals

European Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.24018/clinicmed.2022.3.1.158 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Subhashchandra Daga

Keyword(s):

Nursing Staff ◽

Health Workers ◽

Newborn Care ◽

Low Resource Settings ◽

Neonatal Deaths ◽

Low Resource ◽

General Duty ◽

Care Services ◽

Resource Setting ◽

Low Resource Setting

Objective: To study the role of a nurses' aide in the care for newborns weighing between 1500 and 2000 g at birth in a low resource setting. Study Design: Observational. Setting: The General hospital in 1994-95, in a public sector, located in a remote area in India Intervention: A female ward assistant with seven years of schooling trained, on-the-job, to keep babies warm, initiate maternal breastfeeding, and to detect rapid breathing. The nursing staff from the pediatric ward supervised her performance. A separate "warm room" appropriately heated for preterm and sick babies became a makeshift nursery. The nursing staff administered enteral feeding, oxygen, and antibiotics. Services of the resident doctors or general duty medical officers were not available. Results: The survival rate was nearly 100% for babies with birthweights between 1,500 and 2,000 g (none referred out). Conclusions: A nurses' aide may facilitate the delivery of special care for newborns where nursing personnel are grossly inadequate and saving babies weighing between 1,500 and 2,000 g may need minimal inputs. It may be worthwhile to target 1,500 and 2,000 g birthweight categories even when resources are meager. What is already known about this subject? Low resource settings face staff shortages, especially nursing staff. Health workers with midwifery skills can deliver nearly 90% of essential care services for maternal and neonatal health. A substantial proportion of neonatal deaths occur among moderately low birth weight babies. What does this study add? It is possible to train a semi-literate person to facilitate early breastfeeding and to keep a baby warm. A large proportion of deaths among babies with birthweight ranging from 1500 to 2000 g are preventable with meager resources. How might this impact on clinical practice or future developments? The facilities facing shortage of nursing staff in low resource settings, may employ nurses’ aide to deliver basic newborn care.

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Organizing Your Environment

Global Anaesthesia ◽

10.1093/med/9780198809821.003.0002 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 21-38

Author(s):

Christine Bartulec ◽

Rachel Freedman ◽

Amy Hughes ◽

Sanja Janjanin ◽

Bruce McCormick ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critical Care ◽

Emergency Room ◽

Operating Theatre ◽

Limited Time ◽

Low Resource ◽

Resource Setting ◽

Low Resource Setting ◽

Resource Poor ◽

Anaesthetic Service

One of the challenges when moving from a high- to low-resource setting is having to take more direct responsibility for your own drugs and equipment than you may be used to. In some circumstances you may be starting from nothing and may have limited time to get ‘up and running’. The chapter focuses on practical aspects of setting up an anaesthetic service in resource-poor locations. It contains sections on the minimum expected standards for drugs, equipment, and staffing. As well the operating theatre environment it also contains sections on setting up an emergency room (ER), critical care area, and recovery area, as well as guidance on triage of patients.

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Evaluation of a New Protocol of Insulin Dose Adjustment in a Low-Resource Setting

Diabetes ◽

10.2337/db18-93-lb ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 67 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 93-LB

Author(s):

EDDY JEAN BAPTISTE ◽

PHILIPPE LARCO ◽

MARIE-NANCY CHARLES LARCO ◽

JULIA E. VON OETTINGEN ◽

EDDLYS DUBOIS ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dose Adjustment ◽

Insulin Dose ◽

Low Resource ◽

Resource Setting ◽

Low Resource Setting

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Quality indicators and post operative outcome of ERCP performed in a low resource setting ; can quality indicators from developed settings be applied?

10.26226/morressier.59a6b34bd462b80290b557f5 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Supun Kulatunge

Keyword(s):

Quality Indicators ◽

Low Resource ◽

Resource Setting ◽

Low Resource Setting ◽

Operative Outcome

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Right paraduodenal hernia with extensive bowel gangrene treated with staged surgery: a Bogota bag followed by resection in a low-resource setting

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2020-239250 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. e239250

Author(s):

Vijay Anand Ismavel ◽

Moloti Kichu ◽

David Paul Hechhula ◽

Rebecca Yanadi

Keyword(s):

Plastic Material ◽

Successful Outcome ◽

Paraduodenal Hernia ◽

Transparent Plastic ◽

Low Resource ◽

Entire Small Bowel ◽

Resource Setting ◽

Low Resource Setting ◽

Right Paraduodenal Hernia ◽

Bowel Gangrene

We report a case of right paraduodenal hernia with strangulation of almost the entire small bowel at presentation. Since resection of all bowel of doubtful viability would have resulted in too little residual length to sustain life, a Bogota bag was fashioned using transparent plastic material from an urine drainage bag and the patient monitored intensively for 18 hours. At re-laparotomy, clear demarcation lines had formed with adequate length of viable bowel (100 cm) and resection with anastomosis was done with a good outcome on follow-up, 9 months after surgery. Our description of a rare cause of strangulated intestinal obstruction and a novel method of maximising length of viable bowel is reported for its successful outcome in a low-resource setting.

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