Red blood cell transfusion in a tertiary Haitian hospital's emergency department: patient characteristics and availability challenges.

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are essential for many patients admitted to emergency departments (ED). However, accessibility to red cell transfusions is often limited, especially in low-income countries such as Haiti. This article aims to determine the proportion of patients requiring emergency transfusion, transfused patients' characteristics, as well as the response rate and timeliness of blood product delivery for requests made.

Peripheral Vascular Compression in a Patient With Diffuse Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor of the Knee: A Case Report Focusing on the Role of the Ultrasound.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumors (TGCTs) are benign histo-fibrocystic tumors originating from the synovium of joints, bursae, or tendon sheaths. They are categorized into localized and diffuse types, each with distinct clinical presentations and management approaches. The diffuse form, which is rare, generally affects a single joint and is characterized by joint swelling, pain, functional limitation, and often hemarthrosis.

Integrated group antenatal and pediatric care in Haiti: A comprehensive care accompaniment model.

Introduction: The J9 Plus (J9) maternal-child accompaniment program is based on four pillars: group antenatal care (GANC), group pediatric care, psychosocial support, and community-based care. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the J9 model of care on perinatal outcomes.

Methodology: We conducted a convergent mixed methods study of maternal-newborn dyads born in 2019 at Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais.

Health Information System Strengthening During Antenatal Care in Haiti: Continuous Quality Improvement Study.

Background: Journey to 9 Plus (J9) is an integrated reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health approach to care that has at its core the goal of decreasing the rate of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in rural Haiti. For the maximum effectiveness of this program, it is necessary that the data system be of the highest quality. OpenMRS, an electronic medical record (EMR) system, has been in place since 2013 throughout a tertiary referral hospital, the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, in Haiti and has been expanded for J9 data collection and reporting.

"I Am Half of a Person": Lived Experiences of Individuals Living With Ostomy After Surgery in Rural Haiti.

Intestinal ostomy can have significant effects on lives and lived experiences. However, limited research exists on the experiences of persons with ostomy in low-resource settings, such as rural Haiti. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Haitians with an ostomy, focusing on the physical, psychological, and social aspects of their post-operative lives.

Reframing the Three Delays framework: factors influencing referrals to facilities by matrones in rural Haiti.

In Haiti, there has been limited research on the experiences of traditional birth attendants/matrones when they decide to refer and accompany pregnant women to the facility for giving birth. Understanding this contextualised experience could help to strengthen programming aimed at improving maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) outcomes in rural Haiti. This paper describes the qualitative findings from seven focus group discussions (FGDs) with matrones regarding their experience of referring pregnant women to facilities in Haiti's Central Plateau.

Outcomes of Invasive and Noninvasive Ventilation in a Haitian Emergency Department.

Background: Limited data exist on the outcomes of patients requiring invasive ventilation or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in low-income countries. To our knowledge, no study has investigated this topic in Haiti.

Objectives: We describe the clinical epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of patients requiring NIPPV or intubation in an emergency department (ED) in rural Haiti.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in three rural communes in Haiti: A cross-sectional study.

Vaccines are the most effective mechanism for ending the COVID-19 pandemic. However, reluctance to accept vaccines has hindered the efforts of health authorities to combat the virus. In Haiti, as of July 2021, less than 1% of the country's population has been fully vaccinated in part due to vaccine hesitancy.

Management of Severe Extended Burn Axillary Contracture in a Low-resource Setting.

Contracture is a common complication of deep burn injury, affecting up to one-third of patients. Although some degree of contracture occurs in any setting, severe extended axillary contractures are more often due to unavailable or inappropriate care. Very few cases have been described in the literature.

Tracking health system performance in times of crisis using routine health data: lessons learned from a multicountry consortium.

COVID-19 has prompted the use of readily available administrative data to track health system performance in times of crisis and to monitor disruptions in essential healthcare services. In this commentary we describe our experience working with these data and lessons learned across countries. Since April 2020, the Quality Evidence for Health System Transformation (QuEST) network has used administrative data and routine health information systems (RHIS) to assess health system performance during COVID-19 in Chile, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa, Republic of Korea and Thailand.

Uterine fibroid: a socially malignant illness in Haiti.

This qualitative study documented the effects of uterine fibroids on the suffering of women in Haiti. It makes a unique contribution by re-socializing this disease, by making visible the social inequalities and what is at stake for the women, for their families, and for healthcare delivery. Uterine fibroid is a benign tumor of the uterus, common in gynecology, but profoundly malignant in how it affects women's lives.

Impact of out-of-pocket expenses for surgical care on households in rural Haiti: a mixed-methods study.

Objectives: This study aimed to report household catastrophic spending on surgery and the experiences of patients and families seeking surgical care in rural Haiti.

Design: The study used an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods approach. We collected both quantitative and qualitative data from the participants through interviews.

Piloting a Faculty Development Program in a Rural Haitian Teaching Hospital.

Background: Faculty development for nurse and physician educators has a limited evidence base in high income countries, and very little research from low- and middle-income countries. Health professions educators in many global settings do not receive training on how to educate effectively.

Objective: To pilot and assess a faculty development program aimed at nurse and physician educators at a teaching hospital in rural Haiti.

Gaps in completion and timeliness of breast surgery and adjuvant therapy: a retrospective cohort of Haitian patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer.

Background: There are limited data on breast surgery completion rates and prevalence of care-continuum delays in breast cancer treatment programs in low-income countries.

Methods: This study analyzes treatment data in a retrospective cohort of 312 female patients with non-metastatic breast cancer in Haiti. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics; treatments received; and treatment delays of > 12 weeks.

The prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in a population of patients with oculocutaneous albinism in Haiti.

Background: Multiple studies have examined the prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) in patients with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA). However, to date, no studies have examined this data in Caribbean populations.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study of 106 patients with OCA who were seen at the Oculocutaneous Albinism Clinic in Port-au-Prince and Gros Morne, Haiti, between the dates of February 2017 and June 2018.

COVID-19 and resilience of healthcare systems in ten countries.

Declines in health service use during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could have important effects on population health. In this study, we used an interrupted time series design to assess the immediate effect of the pandemic on 31 health services in two low-income (Ethiopia and Haiti), six middle-income (Ghana, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa and Thailand) and high-income (Chile and South Korea) countries. Despite efforts to maintain health services, disruptions of varying magnitude and duration were found in every country, with no clear patterns by country income group or pandemic intensity.

Extreme Gigantomastia Caused by Pseudoangiomatous Stromal Hyperplasia at Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais: A Case Report.

Gigantomastia is a rare pathologic condition characterized by an excessive and abnormal breast development. To date, there is no universally accepted definition or classification of this disease. The purpose of this article is to present a case of extreme and disabling gigantomastia caused by pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia, the rarest etiology of gigantomastia.

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.

[Nailing of long bone fractures in precarious situations: focus on the Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN) nail].

Economic development in low-income countries has led to a considerable increase in motor vehicles, in particular motorcycles. Traffic accident-related fractures are therefore increasing. The treatment of long bone fractures is, in the majority of cases, based on locked intramedullary nailing, a procedure which is rarely available in countries with poor sanitary conditions.

Implementation of a virtual international cardiology curriculum to address the deficit of cardiovascular education in Haiti: a pilot study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, conferring a disparate burden on low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Haiti represents a resource-constrained setting, limited by a paucity of resources and trained cardiovascular professionals equipped to address the increasing burden of CVD.

Objective: Here, we describe the creation of a comprehensive cardiology curriculum delivered through a virtual classroom.

Development of a Prehospital Care Rotation for Emergency Medicine Residents in Haiti.

Background: Prehospital care is a key component of an emergency care system. Prehospital providers initiate patient care in the field and transition it to the emergency department. Emergency Medicine (EM) specialist training programs are growing rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and future emergency physicians will oversee emergency care systems.

Mass Casualty Incident Management for Resource-Limited Settings: Lessons From Central Haiti.

Objective: Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) have gained increasing attention in recent years due multiple high-profile events. MCI preparedness improves the outcomes of trauma victims, both in the hospital and prehospital settings. Yet most MCI protocols are designed for high-income countries, even though the burden of mass casualty incidents is greater in low-resource settings.

The price of quality care: cross-sectional associations between out-of-pocket payments and quality of care in six low-income countries.

Objective: To assess the relationship between out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and primary health care quality in six low-income countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Nepal, Senegal and Tanzania.

Methods: We examined the association between OOP payments and quality of care during antenatal care and sick child care visits using Service Provision Assessments data. We defined four process quality outcomes from observations of clinical care: visit duration, history-taking items asked, exam items performed, and counselling items delivered.