Availability of Pediatric Services and Equipment in Emergency Departments: A Multicenter Study in Resource-Limited Settings.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the availability of equipment and supplies in the emergency departments of the hospitals in the West Bank of Palestine. METHODS: This study was conducted in a cross-sectional design using a data collection form that was specifically developed for this study. The standardized data collection form contained a detailed list of all essential pediatric emergency equipment and supplies. RESULTS: This study was conducted in a total of 30 hospitals all across the West Bank of Palestine. The median number of patients visiting the emergency department per day was 115.0, the median number of patients admitted to the hospital per day was 14.5, and the median number of pediatric patients visiting the emergency department per day was 6.0. The median number of pediatricians in the hospital was 4.0, the median number of pediatricians in the emergency department was 1.0, the median number of nurses in the hospital was 75.0, and the median number of nurses in the emergency department was 8.5. Both governmental and private hospitals lacked the equipment and supplies needed for monitoring, gaining vascular access, airway management, resuscitation medications, cervical immobilization equipment, and other equipment and supplies. CONCLUSIONS: Decision and policymakers might use the findings reported in this study to allocate resources to restock and increase the availability of pediatric emergency equipment and supplies. More studies are still needed to compare the outcomes of patients before and after restocking and increasing the availability of pediatric emergency equipment and supplies.