ArticleBMC health services research2020
The state of emergency medical services and acute health facility care in Uganda: findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey.
Article in BMC health services research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of Rural Trauma Team Development Education on Prehospital Time, Referral-to-Dispatch Interval, and Neurological and Musculoskeletal Injury Outcomes: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR human factors · 2026Trial
- Integrating traditional healers into the emergency care continuum in Uganda: a missed opportunity?African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2026Article
- Delays in Initiating Ambulance Transport Following Emergency Patient Referral to Mulago National Referral Hospital.Cureus · 2026Article
- Understanding Barriers to Effective Injury Care by Medical Trainees and Traffic Law Enforcement First Responders in Low-Income Contexts in Uganda (Motor Registry Project Part 2): Convergent Mixed Methods Analysis.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Treatment outcome and its predictors among patients with status epilepticus in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Review
- Emergency medical services in the Limpopo province: Is there a need for change and is trauma different?South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2026Observational
- Level of Emergency Preparedness and Associated Barriers at the Accident and Emergency Ward of a LMIC Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Assessment Using the WHO HEAT Tool.Open access emergency medicine : OAEM · 2026Article
- An assessment of emergency care capacity at three hospitals in the Harare metropol, Zimbabwe: A descriptive cross-sectional study using the WHO Hospital Emergency Assessment Tool (HEAT).African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of a structured triage system in improving timeliness of emergency care in a resource-limited rural hospital in Uganda.International journal of emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Acute trauma care training in undergraduate medical education programs in Uganda; A cross-sectional survey of final year medical students.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2025Article
- Implementation of a cascade training model to enhance emergency care capacity of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak in Uganda.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2025Article
- Prospective multi-centre analysis of rural trauma team development training for medical trainees and traffic law enforcement professionals in Uganda: an interrupted time series study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Effect of an Educational Intervention on Knowledge and Skills of Police Officers Towards Prehospital Care for Road Traffic Accident Victims in Southwestern Uganda.Open access emergency medicine : OAEM · 2025Article
- Pre-hospital emergency: analyzing the status of medication and equipment in pre-hospital emergency bases.Journal of injury & violence research · 2025Article
- New Trauma Score versus Kampala Trauma Score II in predicting mortality following road traffic crash: a prospective multi-center cohort study.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Effect of Rural Trauma Team Development on the Outcomes of Motorcycle Accident-Related Injuries (Motor Registry Project): Protocol for a Multicenter Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- Rural trauma team development training amongst medical trainees and traffic law enforcement professionals in a low-income country: a protocol for a prospective multicenter interrupted time series.International journal of surgery protocols · 2024Article
- Understanding pediatric surgical needs in North Korea: a modeling analysis.World journal of pediatric surgery · 2024Article
- Description and analysis of the emergency obstetric interfacility ambulance transfers (IFTs) to Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Uganda.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2023Article
- Strengthening Kampala's Urban Referral System for Maternal and Newborn Care Through Establishment of an Emergency Call and Dispatch Center.Global health, science and practice · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is limited information on the state of emergency medical services (EMS) in Uganda. The available evidence is from studies that focused on either assessing EMS capacity and gaps at the national level especially in Kampala or identifying risk factors for specific emergency medical conditions (e.g., injuries). In this study, we sought to provide a snapshot of the state of EMS in Uganda by assessing the pre-hospital and hospital emergency care capacity at both national and sub-national (district) levels.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional national survey administering structured questionnaires to EMS providers and policy makers from 38 randomly selected districts across seven of the 14 health regions of Uganda. This resulted in a study sample of 111 health facilities and 52 pre-hospital service providers. We collected data on six pillars of EMS whose frequencies and percentages were calculated and qualitatively compared for different levels of the health care system.
resultsAt the time of this study, Uganda did not have any EMS policy or guidelines. In addition, there was no functional toll-free number for emergency response in the country. However, Ministry of Health reported that a taskforce had been set up to lead development of EMS policy, guidelines, and standards including establishment of a toll-free emergency number. At the sub-national level, ambulances lacked the products and supplies needed to provide pre-hospital care, and mainly functioned as emergency transport vehicles, with no capacity for medical care. Only 16 (30.8%) of the 52 pre-hospital providers assessed had standard ambulances with required equipment, medicines, and personnel. The rest of the service providers had improvised ambulances that were not equipped to provide pre-hospital care. Traffic police and bystanders were the first responders to the majority (> 90%) of the emergency cases.
conclusionOur findings reveal weaknesses at every level of what should be a critical component in the health care system - one that deals with the ability to treat life-threatening conditions in a time sensitive manner. The Ministry of Health needs to speed up efforts to provide policies and guidelines, and to increase investments for the creation of a functional EMS in Uganda.
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