Anesthesia Health System Capacities in Public Hospitals of Punjab, Pakistan
Purpose: This study intends to outline the capacity of anesthesia health system in public hospitals of Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among public hospitals of Punjab was carried out that provide emergency and elective surgical care. We measured capacity in terms of infrastructu...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Book |
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SAGE Publishing,
2021-11-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | Purpose: This study intends to outline the capacity of anesthesia health system in public hospitals of Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among public hospitals of Punjab was carried out that provide emergency and elective surgical care. We measured capacity in terms of infrastructure; surgical, anesthetic, and obstetric (SAO) workforce; surgical interventions; information management; equipment; and medication which was accomplished between October 2020 and February 2021. Results: Out of 106 public hospitals in Punjab, almost 40% had only one anesthesia provider. Only 50% of the hospitals reported round the clock availability of anesthesia providers for surgical cases. While caesarean sections were carried out in more than 90% of health facilities, general surgery, pediatric surgery, and open fracture surgery were conducted only in 50% of the hospitals. Although local and general anesthetic agents were available in the majority of hospitals, essential medicines for safe anesthesia were not available in all hospitals. Conclusion: This first comprehensive assessment of anesthesia health system capacity exposed a crucial deficiency of critical supplies and workforce for providing safe anesthesia and, hence, safe surgery. The surveyed facilities had an uneven division of resources. |
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| Item Description: | 0046-9580 1945-7243 10.1177/00469580211059740 |