Evaluation of needs and supply of emergency care in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a cross-sectional household survey.

Objective: Emergency care can address over half of deaths occurring each year in low-income countries. A baseline evaluation of the specific needs and gaps in the supply of emergency care at community level could help tailor suitable interventions in such settings. This study evaluates access to, utilisation of, and barriers to emergency care in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Design: A cross-sectional, community-based household survey.

Setting: 12 health zones in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Participants: Three-stage randomised cluster sampling was used to identify approximately 100 households in each of the 12 clusters, for a total of 1217 households. The head of each household or an adult representative responded on behalf of the household. Additional 303 respondents randomly selected in the households were interviewed regarding their personal reasons for not accessing emergency care.

Primary Outcome: Availability and utilisation of emergency care services.

Results: In August 2021, 1217 households encompassing 6560 individuals were surveyed (response rate of 96.2%). Most households were economically disadvantaged (70.0% lived with
Conclusion: There is a substantial gap in the supply of emergency care in Kinshasa, with several unmet needs and reasons for poor access identified.