TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing trauma care at the district and provincial hospital levels
T2 - A case study of hospitals in Kenya
AU - Wesson, Hadley K.H.
AU - Bachani, Abdulgafoor M.
AU - Wekesa, John Masasabi
AU - Mburu, Joseph
AU - Hyder, Adnan Ali
AU - Stevens, Kent A.
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - Trauma is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, of which more than 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries. Given the magnitude of this inequality, there is a need to devise and use tools to assess the capacity of facility-based trauma care. This study used two tools, hospital flowcharts and the World Health Organization's Trauma Care Checklist, to describe trauma care capacity at two hospitals in Kenya and ways in which this capacity can be strengthened. We found these hospitals had a large volume of trauma, but due to the lack of intensive care units, specialized trauma units, and axillary services, such as orthopedics and neurosurgery, the hospitals had a limited ability to provide definitive care for injured patients in critical condition. Additionally, organizational capabilities, such as trauma registries, trauma-specific training, and quality improvement programmes were lacking. The state of trauma care at district and provincial levels in Kenya demonstrates a strong case for national and global investment in clinical and systemic interventions.
AB - Trauma is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, of which more than 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries. Given the magnitude of this inequality, there is a need to devise and use tools to assess the capacity of facility-based trauma care. This study used two tools, hospital flowcharts and the World Health Organization's Trauma Care Checklist, to describe trauma care capacity at two hospitals in Kenya and ways in which this capacity can be strengthened. We found these hospitals had a large volume of trauma, but due to the lack of intensive care units, specialized trauma units, and axillary services, such as orthopedics and neurosurgery, the hospitals had a limited ability to provide definitive care for injured patients in critical condition. Additionally, organizational capabilities, such as trauma registries, trauma-specific training, and quality improvement programmes were lacking. The state of trauma care at district and provincial levels in Kenya demonstrates a strong case for national and global investment in clinical and systemic interventions.
KW - Developing countries
KW - Low and middle income countries
KW - Trauma care
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U2 - 10.1016/S0020-1383(13)70217-1
DO - 10.1016/S0020-1383(13)70217-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 24377784
AN - SCOPUS:84891762205
SN - 0020-1383
VL - 44
SP - S75-S80
JO - Injury
JF - Injury
IS - SUPPL. 4
ER -