Bayan E Ibrahim, Rahba Osman El-Amin, Safia Tarig Adam Abdulla
{"title":"Evaluating the Triage of Suspected COVID-19 Cases in Sudan's Emergency Settings: A Clinical Audit.","authors":"Bayan E Ibrahim, Rahba Osman El-Amin, Safia Tarig Adam Abdulla","doi":"10.2147/OAEM.S433240","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The inevitable coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic has severely affected Sudan's fragile healthcare system. The authors share the experience of COVID-19 triage in the emergency departments of five public hospitals in Khartoum state, Sudan.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A clinical audit was conducted in December 2020 using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Checklist and Monitoring Tool for Triage of Suspected COVID-19 Cases. The tool was categorised into 5 domains and 38 indicators.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only three hospitals had hand hygiene stations in their triage areas: Ibrahim Malik, Omdurman, and Al-Nau. Omdurman Teaching Hospital was the sole hospital with a designated respiratory waiting area. At Al-Nau and Omdurman Hospitals, all respiratory symptomatic patients wore a facemask or alternative. Ibrahim Malik and Bahri Teaching Hospitals had 60% and 50% compliance, respectively, while none at El-Tamayouz Hospital did. No posters or job aids were present in donning and doffing areas. Heavy duty gloves were worn only at Ibrahim Malik (50%) and Omdurman (20%). 100% of staff wore closed-toe footwear at Ibrahim Malik and Omdurman, 75% at El-Tamayouz, 63% at Bahri, and none at Al-Nau.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The healthcare facilities displayed significant shortcomings in preparedness and response to COVID-19, with variations across hospitals in infrastructure, human resources, and procedures. To better combat future outbreaks, systemic improvements and a focused approach on consistent staff training, standard triage algorithms, and adequate PPE availability are imperative.</p>","PeriodicalId":45096,"journal":{"name":"Open Access Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/b5/aa/oaem-15-373.PMC10590591.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Open Access Emergency Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OAEM.S433240","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"EMERGENCY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The inevitable coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic has severely affected Sudan's fragile healthcare system. The authors share the experience of COVID-19 triage in the emergency departments of five public hospitals in Khartoum state, Sudan.
Methods: A clinical audit was conducted in December 2020 using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Checklist and Monitoring Tool for Triage of Suspected COVID-19 Cases. The tool was categorised into 5 domains and 38 indicators.
Results: Only three hospitals had hand hygiene stations in their triage areas: Ibrahim Malik, Omdurman, and Al-Nau. Omdurman Teaching Hospital was the sole hospital with a designated respiratory waiting area. At Al-Nau and Omdurman Hospitals, all respiratory symptomatic patients wore a facemask or alternative. Ibrahim Malik and Bahri Teaching Hospitals had 60% and 50% compliance, respectively, while none at El-Tamayouz Hospital did. No posters or job aids were present in donning and doffing areas. Heavy duty gloves were worn only at Ibrahim Malik (50%) and Omdurman (20%). 100% of staff wore closed-toe footwear at Ibrahim Malik and Omdurman, 75% at El-Tamayouz, 63% at Bahri, and none at Al-Nau.
Conclusion: The healthcare facilities displayed significant shortcomings in preparedness and response to COVID-19, with variations across hospitals in infrastructure, human resources, and procedures. To better combat future outbreaks, systemic improvements and a focused approach on consistent staff training, standard triage algorithms, and adequate PPE availability are imperative.