TITLE:
Challenges of Improving Intensive Care Medicine in Eritrea: Impact of an Italian Cooperative Project of Educational and Clinical Support
AUTHORS:
Valentina Anichini, Giovanni Zagli, Hagos Goitom, Giovanni Cianchi, Andrea Cecchi, Lucia Perretta, Emanuele Bigazzi, Barbara Gazzini, Simone Proietti, Alessandro Di Filippo, Simone Toccafondi, Gianfranco Gensini, Giancarlo Berni, Adriano Peris
KEYWORDS:
Intensive Care Unit; Developing Countries; MEWS
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Anesthesiology,
Vol.3 No.7,
August
16,
2013
ABSTRACT: Intensive care
in Africa is available only in teaching or referral hospitals. Here we report
the experience of a multidisciplinary
collaboration between physicians and nurses of the Emergency Department (First
Aid and Intensive Care Unit) of a tertiary referral hospital (Careggi Teaching
Hospital, Florence, IT) and physicians and nurses of Orotta National referral
Hospital in Asmara, Eritrea. The project
was aimed at performing clinical assistance and training on the job to the
local staff to improve the standard of care in the local Emergency Department.
The duration of the project was initially planned
to be 30 months, but unfortunately it was interrupted after 18 months because
of lack of funds. The Italian staff was composed
of two physicians and two nurses per period. To monitor local ICU activity, a
retrospective survey of 36 months was performed. During the 36 months of data
collection, 1169 patients were admitted to the ICU. Intra-ICU mortality rate resulted comparable before, during, and after
Italian presence. On the contrary, the 28-day mortality resulted significantly lower bo th during and after the Italian stay. After project interruption, the Italian staff maintained contact with the Eritrean ICU personnel, who were invited to attend the Italian ICU for one month
per year, and collected information about Orotta ICU
activities.