Unmet need of essential treatments for critical illness in Malawi

Critical illness is common throughout the world and has been the focus of a dramatic increase in attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Severely deranged vital signs such as hypoxia, hypotension and low conscious level can identify critical illness. These vital signs are simple to check and treatme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2021-09, Vol.16 (9), p.e0256361-e0256361
Main Authors: Kayambankadzanja, Raphael Kazidule, Schell, Carl Otto, Mbingwani, Isaac, Mndolo, Samson Kwazizira, Castegren, Markus, Baker, Tim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biology and Life Sciences
Blood pressure
Care and treatment
Consciousness
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Critically ill
Glasgow Coma Scale
Hospital patients
Hospitals
Hypotension
Hypoxia
Illnesses
Intensive care
Intravenous administration
Low income groups
Medical care
Medical schools
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mortality
Nurses
Nursing education
Oxygen
Oxygen content
Oxygen saturation
Pandemics
Patients
Pharynx
Physical Sciences
Public health
Quality management
Respiratory tract
Saturation
Signs
Ventilators
Vital signs
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Summary:Critical illness is common throughout the world and has been the focus of a dramatic increase in attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Severely deranged vital signs such as hypoxia, hypotension and low conscious level can identify critical illness. These vital signs are simple to check and treatments that aim to correct derangements are established, basic and low-cost. The aim of the study was to estimate the unmet need of such essential treatments for severely deranged vital signs in all adults admitted to hospitals in Malawi. We conducted a point prevalence cross-sectional study of adult hospitalized patients in Malawi. All in-patients aged [greater than or equal to]18 on single days Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) and Chiradzulu District Hospital (CDH) were screened. Patients with hypoxia (oxygen saturation
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0256361