Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38176878›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2024

Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya.

Onesmus O Onyango, Tamara M Willows, Jacob McKnight, Carl Otto Schell, Tim Baker, Elibariki Mkumbo, John Maiba, Karima Khalid, Mike English, Jacquie N Oliwa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Onesmus O OnyangoKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya oonyango@kemri-wellcome.org.ORCID 0000-0003-4045-857X
Tamara M WillowsNuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jacob McKnightNuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Carl Otto SchellDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-7904-1336
Tim BakerDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-8727-7018
Elibariki MkumboIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of.
John MaibaIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of.
Karima KhalidIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of.
Mike EnglishKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0000-0002-7427-0826
Jacquie N OliwaKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0000-0002-4575-2447

Funding

Wellcome Trust 207522/Z/17/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThird delay refers to delays in delivering requisite care to patients after they arrive at a health facility. In low-resource care settings, effective triage and flow of care are difficult to guarantee. In this study, we aimed to identify delays in the delivery of care to critically ill patients and possible ways to address these delays.

designThis was an exploratory qualitative study using in-depth interviews and patient journeys. The qualitative data were transcribed and aggregated into themes in NVivo V.12 Plus using inductive and deductive approaches.

settingThis study was conducted in four secondary-level public Kenyan hospitals across four counties between March and December 2021. The selected hospitals were part of the Clinical Information Network.

participantsPurposive sampling method was used to identify administrative and front-line healthcare providers and patients. We conducted 12 in-depth interviews with 11 healthcare workers and patient journeys of 7 patients. Informed consent was sought from the participants and maintained throughout the study.

resultsWe identified a cycle of suboptimal systems for care with adaptive mechanisms that prevent quality care to critically ill patients. We identified suboptimal systems for identification of critical illness, inadequate resources for continuity care and disruption of the flow of care, as the major causes of delays in identification and the initiation of essential care to critically ill patients. Our study also illuminated the contribution of inflexible bureaucratic non-clinical business-related organisational processes to third delay.

conclusionEliminating or reducing delays after patients arrive at the hospital is a time-sensitive measure that could improve the care outcomes of critically ill patients. This is achievable through an essential emergency and critical care package within the hospitals. Our findings can help emphasise the need for standardised effective and reliable care priorities to maintain of care of critically ill patients.

Indexed as

Critical IllnessTriageHospitals, PublicHumansKenyaPatientsQualitative ResearchACCIDENT & EMERGENCY MEDICINECOVID-19Decision MakingHealth Services AccessibilityQUALITATIVE RESEARCHQuality in health care

Identifiers

PMID38176878
PMCPMC10773318

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.