Triage, Trauma, and Civil Unrest: Decreasing Critical Care Overcrowding and Nursing 'Undertriage' Praxes at the University of Gondar Public Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction:

In March of 2022, the Washington Post reported that the: “Deadliest war isn’t in Ukraine, it’s in Ethiopia.” Current death toll estimates are around 600,000: 50,000-100,000 (warfare); 150,000-200,000 (starvation), and 100,000 (lack of medical treatment). Due to increasing civil unrest, a mixed-methods study began at the University of Gondar Hospital in Gondar, Ethiopia. Between 2018-2022, the estimated (daily average) of patients was reported to have quadrupled, from 100 to 400. The global research team implemented 12 new systemic revisions in overcrowding, triage nursing praxes, and resuscitations. Patient data from 521 hospital records was evaluated, as well as resource allocation(s) in staffing, equipment, and training.

Method:

The study’s inclusion criteria for A&E data included all patients who sought emergency care at UoG Teaching Hospital’s Emergency Department between May 13, 2018, and June 29, 2018, primarily during the normal daytime working hours between 9am and 2pm, as nighttime security and road travel were deemed less secure for data collectors.

Results:

After the 12-benchmark implementation, there was an approximate 15%-25% decrease in direct-from-triage ‘Red’ patient admission; congestion dropped 50%-70%; and the occurrences of successful resuscitations increased. The study revealed that over 75% of patients presented with symptoms indicative of illness(es), and 24.4% presented with trauma (remaining psychiatric). Of the trauma cases, approximately 28.3% were ‘intentional’ injuries. The patients’ mean TEWS triage score was 3.294, with a standard deviation from the mean of 1.9938.

Conclusion:

The overall prevalence of patients necessitating surgical evaluation, the elevated use of triage discriminators due to space, equipment, and staff concerns, and the predominant use of ‘Yellow Zone’ services–all pointed to the vital need for resource re-allocation(s), stricter ECCN adherences to TEWS triage indices, as well as future Mass Casualty Planning, Triage, and Response, and Mass Casualty Medical Operations training.