Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Assess Diaphragmatic Paralysis in Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Series.

Diaphragmatic dysfunction can arise from various factors, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, characterized by acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy, is one such cause that may result in respiratory failure due to diaphragmatic paralysis. Prompt recognition and timely intervention, including airway protection and addressing the underlying pathology, are crucial for achieving optimal patient outcomes. Point-of-care ultrasound, specifically utilizing the M-mode function, can be employed for individuals displaying symptoms of diaphragmatic paralysis.

Implementing an ICU registry in Ethiopia-Implications for critical care quality improvement.

Purpose: Intensive care units (ICUs) in low- and middle-income countries have high mortality rates, and clinical data are needed to guide quality improvement (QI) efforts. This study utilizes data from a validated ICU registry specially developed for resource-limited settings to identify evidence-based QI priorities for ICUs in Ethiopia.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of data from two tertiary referral hospital ICUs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 2021-June 2022 was conducted to describe casemix, complications and outcomes and identify features associated with ICU mortality.

Disaster response readiness assessment of public hospitals in Addis Ababa City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Due to its diverse geography, climate, and political instability, Ethiopia is one of the countries most affected by disasters. However, there is a lack of evidence-based assessments of disaster preparedness, especially in Addis Ababa, where most tertiary-level referral hospitals are located. This study aims to evaluate disaster readiness in public hospitals in Addis Ababa using WHO standards, focusing on hospital characteristics, disaster plans, infrastructure, and human resources availability.

Facilitators and Barriers to National COVID 19 Guideline Adherence among Healthcare Providers in Ethiopia.

Background: Evidence-base practice needs to be supported by guidelines and decision-making protocols. This study aimed to look into the barriers and facilitators of adherence to national protocols in Ethiopia.

Methods: Exploratory qualitative method was implemented to explore adherence to protocol.

Prehospital emergency medical service utilization and associated factors among critically ill COVID-19 patients treated at centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The majority of populations in developing countries are living in areas of no access or limited access to prehospital emergency medical services (EMS). In Addis Ababa, the reported prehospital EMS utilization were ranging from zero to thirty-eight percent. However, there is limited research on reasons for the low utilization of prehospital resources in Ethiopia.

The Status of Facility Based Emergency Care in Public Hospitals of Ethiopia Using WHO Assessment Tool.

Background: The availability of emergency care contributes to half of the total mortality burden in a low and middle income countries. The significant proportion of emergency departments in LMICs are understaffed and poorly equipped. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of emergency units and to describe the facilitators and barriers to the provision of facility-based emergency care at selected Ethiopian public hospitals.

Prehospital characteristics of COVID-19 patients transported by emergency medical service and the predictors of a prehospital sudden deterioration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Severally ill COVID-19 patients may require urgent transport to a specialized facility for advanced care. Prehospital transport is inherently risky; the patient's health may deteriorate, and potentially fatal situations may arise. Hence, early detection of clinically worsening patients in a prehospital setting may enable selecting the best receiving facility, arranging for swift transportation, and providing the most accurate and timely therapies.

Factors Associated with Willingness to Call Emergency Medical Services for Worsening Symptoms of COVID-19 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health has established ambulances and dispatch centers specifically designed to transport COVID-19 patients to city medical centers. Due to a lack of evidence in this area, it is critical to assess the factors that influence the willingness to call for emergency medical services.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2021 in Addis Ababa.

Distal Tracheal Obstructive Mass Leading to Bilateral Pneumothorax and Respiratory Failure.

Tracheal masses are rare in occurrence, but could lead to complications depending on the speed of growth, duration and degree of obstruction. Some of the complications are recurrent pneumonia and air trapping resulting in increased intrathoracic pressure. The latter phenomenon can result in obstruction of the venous return and pneumothorax.

Pre-hospital Care to Trauma Patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Trauma is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prompt use of pre-hospital care is associated with reduced early and late morbidity and mortality from trauma. This study aimed to assess the time to reach the facility and the pattern of pre-hospital care provided for trauma patients.

The status of prehospital care delivery for COVID-19 patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The study emphasizing adverse events occurring in prehospital transport and associated factors.

Background: COVID-19 patients may require emergency medical services for emergent treatment and/or transport to a hospital for further treatment. However, it is common for the patients to experience adverse events during transport, even the shortest transport may cause life-threatening conditions. Most of the studies that have been done on prehospital care of COVID-19 patients were conducted in developed countries.

Emergency capacity analysis in Ethiopia: Results of a baseline emergency facility assessment.

Introduction: In Ethiopia, the specialty of Emergency Medicine is a relatively new discipline. In the last few decades, policymakers have made Emergency Medicine a priority for improving population health. This study aims to contribute to this strengthening of Emergency Medicine, by conducting the country's first baseline gap analysis of Emergency Medicine Capacity at the pre-hospital and hospital level in order to help identify needs and areas for intervention.

Acute Poisoning Cases Presented to the Addis Ababa Burn, Emergency, and Trauma Hospital Emergency Department, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Acute poisoning is a common reason for visits to the emergency room and hospitalization across the world, as well as a possible cause of morbidity and death. This study aimed to assess acute poisonings at Addis Ababa Burn, Emergency, and Trauma (AaBET) Hospital. .

White Paper on Early Critical Care Services in Low Resource Settings.

This White Paper has been formally accepted for support by the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) and by the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care (WFICC), put forth by a multi-specialty group of intensivists and emergency medicine providers from low- and low-middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HiCs) with the aim of 1) defining the current state of caring for the critically ill in low-resource settings (LRS) within LMICs and 2) highlighting policy options and recommendations for improving the system-level delivery of early critical care services in LRS. LMICs have a high burden of critical illness and worse patient outcomes than HICs, hence, the focus of this White Paper is on the care of critically ill patients in the early stages of presentation in LMIC settings. In such settings, the provision of early critical care is challenged by a fragmented health system, costs, a health care workforce with limited training, and competing healthcare priorities.

Intensive Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: A National Review of the Service Status in Ethiopia.

Background: The burden of critical illness in low-income countries is high and expected to rise. This has implications for wider public health measures including maternal mortality, deaths from communicable diseases, and the global burden of disease related to injury. There is a paucity of data pertaining to the provision of critical care in low-income countries.

Prognostic factors and outcomes of COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia: multi-center cohort study protocol.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and became pandemic after emerging in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Several studies have been conducted to understand the key features of COVID-19 and its public health impact. However, the prognostic factors of COVID-19 are not well studied in the African setting.

Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Related Deaths in Ethiopia.

Background: Since the occurrence of COVID-19 in the world, it has claimed nearly 1.39 million human lives in the world and more than 1500 lives in Ethiopia. The number of deaths is increasing with variable distribution in the world.

Clinical and Socio-demographic Profile of the First 33 COVID-19 Cases Treated at Dedicated Treatment Center in Ethiopia.

Background: Severe respiratory tract infection caused by family of Corona viruses has become world pandemic. The purpose of this study was to describe the first few COVID 19 cases in Ethiopia.

Method: Descriptive study was conducted on the first 33 consecutive RT-PCR confirmed COVID 19 cases diagnosed and managed at Ekka-Kotebe COVID Treatment Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Success Rate of Endotracheal Intubation in the Emergency Department of Tertiary Care Hospital in Ethiopia, One-Year Retrospective Study.

Background: Emergency medical care starts with airway assessment and intervention management. Endotracheal intubation is the definitive airway management in the emergency department (ED) for patients requiring a definitive airway. Successful first pass is recommended as the main objective of emergency intubation.

Critical care capacity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A citywide survey of public hospitals.

Purpose: We evaluated critical care capacity in the 15 intensive care units (ICUs) in public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to determine the current state of critical care in the city and inform capacity-building efforts.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of ICU medical and nursing directors or their delegates using a standardized questionnaire based on World Federation of Society of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSICCM) criteria.

Results: ICU size ranged from 3 to 15 beds.

Magnitude and Determinants of Needlestick and Sharp Injuries among Nurses Working in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Needlestick and sharp injuries are a big risk to the health of nurses. Every day, nurses face the likelihood that they will injure themselves. Although many injuries will have no adverse effect, the possibility of acquiring infections like hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and human immunodeficiency virus can cause untold psychological harm.

Trends and barriers of emergency medical service use in Addis Ababa; Ethiopia.

Background: The increasing burdens of trauma and time sensitive non-communicable disease in Addis Ababa necessitate a robust emergency medical care system. The objectives of this study were to assess the proportion of patients who used emergency medical services (EMS) and to quantitatively and qualitatively assess barriers to EMS utilization in Addis Ababa.

Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative study was conducted on patients who visited five selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa with specific emergency conditions.

Epidemiology of ambulance utilized patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Well organized and appropriately utilized pre-hospital emergency services play a critical role in augmenting emergency care systems. The primary objective of this study was to understand the demographic and clinical profile of patients who used ambulances in Addis Ababa. The secondary objectives were to assess ambulance response time, transport time and reasons for referral amongst inter-facility transported patients in Addis Ababa.

The burden on emergency centres to provide care for critically ill patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Introduction: Given the scarcity of critical care hospital beds in Africa, emergency centres (ECs) are increasingly charged with caring for critically ill patients for extended periods of time. The objective of this study was to improve the understanding of the nature and outcomes of critically ill patients with prolonged treatment times of more than six hours in two ECs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods: This study was conducted over three months in two ECs of urban tertiary care hospitals in Addis Ababa.