The clinical practice of emergency medicine in Mahajanga, Madagascar.

Introduction: Little is documented concerning the clinical practice of emergency care in low- and middle-income countries. The lack of structural models presents serious obstacles to the development of effective emergency care services. This study provides such a model by describing the clinical practice at the emergency centre of the Centre Hôpitalier Universitaire de Mahajanga in Madagascar.

The burden of acute disease in Mahajanga, Madagascar - a 21 month study.

Background: Efforts to develop effective and regionally-appropriate emergency care systems in sub-Saharan Africa are hindered by a lack of data on both the burden of disease in the region and on the state of existing care delivery mechanisms. This study describes the burden of acute disease presenting to an emergency unit in Mahajanga, Madagascar.

Methods And Findings: Handwritten patient registries on all emergency department patients presenting between 1 January 2011 and 30 September 2012 were reviewed and data entered into a database.