Assessing emergency medical care in low income countries: A pilot study from Pakistan
2008

Assessing Emergency Medical Care in Pakistan

Sample size: 42 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Razzak Junaid A, Hyder Adnan A, Akhtar Tasleem, Khan Mubashir, Khan Uzma R

Primary Institution: Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

Hypothesis

What is the availability and quality of emergency medical care in Pakistan's government health care system?

Conclusion

The study found multiple deficiencies in emergency care at the district level in Pakistan, indicating a need for improvement.

Supporting Evidence

  • 98% of community leaders were not satisfied with the emergency care provided.
  • 82% of participants would not call an ambulance due to its poor functioning.
  • 74% of health care facilities had no budget allocated for emergency care.
  • 98% of health care providers felt their facilities were inadequately equipped to treat emergencies.

Takeaway

Emergency care in Pakistan is not good, and many people are unhappy with it. We need to make it better so that everyone can get help when they need it.

Methodology

The study involved three cross-sectional assessments of community leaders, health care providers, and health care facilities in two districts of Pakistan.

Potential Biases

Self-reporting bias may affect the results due to the interview approach used.

Limitations

The study used a convenience sample and focused only on government-run facilities, which may not represent the entire population's experience.

Participant Demographics

The majority of community leaders surveyed were male (82%) and married (98%), with a mix of urban (46%) and rural (54%) representation.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-227X-8-8

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