Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40132809›Full record

ArticleBMJ global health2025

Do deferred emergency payment programmes increase use of injury care services in Cameroon? A trauma registry analysis.

Fanny Nadia Dissak-Delon, Kathleen O'Connor, Mark T Yost, Kibu O Dzemo, Dennis J Zheng, Rasheedat Oke, Cindy S Umoh, Ariane S Christie, Alain Chichom Mefire, Catherine Juillard

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ global health, 2025. 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. Observational
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.

Fanny Nadia Dissak-DelonDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, Bambili, NW Region, Cameroon fannynadia@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8386-6501
Kathleen O'ConnorUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Mark T YostProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Kibu O DzemoDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Southwest, Cameroon.
Dennis J ZhengProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Rasheedat OkeProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Cindy S UmohProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Ariane S ChristieProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Alain Chichom MefireDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Southwest, Cameroon.
Catherine JuillardProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Funding

University of California Launching Future Leaders in Global Health Research Training ProgramD43TW009343 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI CRAIG R COHEN, Sung-Jae Lee · 2017 to 2026
$14.7M
Building Capacity for Trauma Quality Improvement: An Innovative Pilot Program in Cameroon to Address the Burden of InjuryR21TW010453 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI CHICHOM, ALAIN MEFIRE, JUILLARD, CATHERINE · 2018 to 2019
$318k
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW009343FIC NIH HHS R21 TW010453
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInjured patients in Cameroon face high out-of-pocket costs and care discrepancies based on ability to pay. Per government declaration, all Cameroonian hospitals instituted emergency payment deferral (EPD) programmes to mitigate financial barriers to emergency care. Doctors or nurses decide on patients' eligibility for the EPD programme. However, the impact of EPD on care patterns is unclear.

methodsThe Cameroon Trauma Registry (CTR) is a prospective, multisite trauma registry collecting injured patient data from four hospitals in Cameroon. Using CTR data from March 2020 to February 2022, we analysed associations between patient participation in EPD programmes and healthcare interventions using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression.

resultsOf 5287 CTR patients, 58% (n=3081) were emergency payment deferral recipients (EPDR). A greater proportion of EPDR lived in urban residences (89% EPDR vs 87% non-EPDR, p=0.003). EPDR more often presented with a 'serious' or more severe estimated injury severity (70% EPDR vs 59% non-EPDR, p<0.001). Compared with non-recipients, a smaller proportion of EPD recipients, a smaller proportion of EPDR underwent recommended X-rays (48% EPDR vs 51% non-EPDR, p<0.001). However, greater percentages of EPDR received a recommended ultrasound (3% vs 1%, p<0.001) or CT scan (14% EDPR vs 10% non-EDPR, p<0.001). EPDR more often did not receive radiological tests due to inability to pay (12% vs 4%, p<0.001). Moreover, 10% of EPDR did not undergo recommended surgery due to cost while 6% of non-EPDR did not undergo recommended surgery due to cost (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression controlling for injury severity and other demographics indicates that EPDR were less likely to undergo surgery (adjusted OR=0.63, p=0.001).

conclusionPayment deferral programmes were associated with increased use of some imaging tests, but did not fully address the downstream financial barriers that impede health equity in Cameroon.

Indexed as

Health ExpendituresWounds and InjuriesAdolescentAdultAgedCameroonChildFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRegistriesYoung AdultGlobal HealthHealth Services AccessibilityHealth systemsInjurySurgery

Identifiers

PMID40132809
PMCPMC11938216

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.