Paediatric emergency care in resource-constrained health services is usually neglected: time for change.
Emergency care has been neglected in many resource-constrained countries and yet 50% of paediatric admissions die in the 1st 24 hours of admission. Carers may know how to manage clinical problems but there might not be a system in place to provide timely and appropriate care. This article reviews the needs--staffing, materials and physical layout--of a receiving hospital unit and describes how to set up a system of patient flow and care that prioritises and provides timely care, so that when a patient arrives in hospital the system does not fail them.
Molyneux
E M
EM
College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi. emmolyneux@gmail.com
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013997:Time Factors; D000078329:Workforce