Leveraging local health system resources to address quality healthcare gaps in sub-Saharan African: lessons from the SafeCare quality improvement programme in Ghana.

Introduction: In low- and-middle-income-countries (LMICs) like Ghana, universal access to quality healthcare remains a mirage and this undermines achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 3. The SafeCare Quality Improvement (QI) programme is an initiative of PharmAccess Foundation, a Netherlands-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). In 2009 SafeCare QI programme was launched in Ghana to help address gaps in healthcare quality standards, leveraging existing local resources.

Preparing healthcare facilities in sub-Saharan Africa for future outbreaks: insights from a multi-country digital self-assessment of COVID-19 preparedness.

Background: Despite previous experience with epidemics, African healthcare systems were inadequately prepared and substantially impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Limited information about the level of COVID-19 preparedness of healthcare facilities in Africa hampers policy decision-making to fight future outbreaks in the region, while maintaining essential healthcare services running.

Methods: Between May-November 2020, we performed a survey study with SafeCare4Covid - a free digital self-assessment application - to evaluate the COVID-19 preparedness of healthcare facilities in Africa following World Health Organization guidelines.

Digital health systems strengthening in Africa for rapid response to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has painfully exposed the constraints of fragile health systems in low- and middle-income countries, where global containment measures largely set by high-income countries resulted in disproportionate collateral damage. In Africa, a shift is urgently needed from emergency response to structural health systems strengthening efforts, which requires coordinated interventions to increase access, efficiency, quality, transparency, equity, and flexibility of health services. We postulate that rapid digitalization of health interventions is a key way forward to increase resilience of African health systems to epidemic challenges.

Coping style and quality of life in Dutch intensive care unit survivors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore coping styles among intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and investigate the association between coping style and quality of life (QOL).

Method: In this cross-sectional multicenter study, 150 adult patients who were mechanically ventilated in an ICU for ≥2 days and discharged to their homes were invited to visit the post-ICU clinic 3 months after discharge. Before the post-ICU visit, the patients completed questionnaires regarding their QOL, coping style, and psychological distress.

Clinicians' response to hyperoxia in ventilated patients in a Dutch ICU depends on the level of FiO2.

Purpose: Hyperoxia may induce pulmonary injury and may increase oxidative stress. In this retrospective database study we aimed to evaluate the response to hyperoxia by intensivists in a Dutch academic intensive care unit.

Methods: All arterial blood gas (ABG) data from mechanically ventilated patients from 2005 until 2009 were extracted from an electronic storage database of a mixed 32-bed intensive care unit in a university hospital in Amsterdam.