Evaluation of demands, usage and unmet needs for emergency care in Yaoundé, Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.
To assess the burden of emergent illnesses and emergency care system usage by Yaoundé residents and to evaluate unmet needs for emergency care and associated barriers.



A cross-sectional study using a community-based survey.



Yaoundé, Cameroon.



All residents living in Yaoundé were selected as the target population to investigate the needs and usage of emergency care in Yaoundé. 14 households in every health area (47 in total) were selected using 2-stage sampling.



Unmet needs for emergency care.



Among the 3201 participants from 619 households who completed the survey, 1113 (34.8%) with median age of 22 experienced 1 or more emergency conditions in the previous year. Respondents who experienced emergency conditions used emergency units (7.0%), outpatient clinics (46.5%) or hospitalisation (13.0%), and in overall, 68.8% of them reported unmet needs for emergency care. The primary reasons for not seeking healthcare were economic issues (37.2%) and use of complementary medicine (22.2%). Young age (adjusted OR (95% CI) 1.80 (1.23 to 2.62)), rental housing (1.50 (1.11 to 2.03)) and moderate household income (0.60 (0.36 to 0.99)) were associated with unmet needs for emergency care.



Residents of Yaoundé had a high demand for emergency care, and high unmet needs were observed due to low emergency care usage. Development of a cost-effective, universal emergency care system is urgently needed in Cameroon.
Laboratory of Emergency Medical Services, Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Young Sun
YS
Ro
Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sang Do
SD
Shin
Korea International Cooperation Agency, Korea.|Department of Emergency Medicine, Centre des Urgences de Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Joongsik
J
Jeong
Laboratory of Emergency Medical Services, Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Min Jung
MJ
Kim
Laboratory of Emergency Medical Services, Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Young Hee
YH
Jung
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Services, Department of Epidemiology, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Joseph
J
Kamgno
Department of Disease Control, Epidemics and Pandemics, Ministry of Public Health, Cameroon.
Etoundi Mballa Georges
EM
Alain
Department of Emergency Medicine, Centre des Urgences de Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Bonaventure
B
Hollong
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
Cameroon; Emergency Medical Services; Needs Assessment