Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya
Objectives Third delay refers to delays in delivering requisite care to patients after they arrive at a health facility. In low-resource care settings, effective triage and flow of care are difficult to guarantee. In this study, we aimed to identify delays in the delivery of care to critically ill p...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2024-01-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/1/e072341.full |
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| author | Mike English Jacob McKnight Tim Baker Carl Otto Schell Karima Khalid Elibariki Mkumbo John Maiba Onesmus O Onyango Tamara M Willows Jacquie N Oliwa |
| author_facet | Mike English Jacob McKnight Tim Baker Carl Otto Schell Karima Khalid Elibariki Mkumbo John Maiba Onesmus O Onyango Tamara M Willows Jacquie N Oliwa |
| author_sort | Mike English |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Third delay refers to delays in delivering requisite care to patients after they arrive at a health facility. In low-resource care settings, effective triage and flow of care are difficult to guarantee. In this study, we aimed to identify delays in the delivery of care to critically ill patients and possible ways to address these delays.Design This was an exploratory qualitative study using in-depth interviews and patient journeys. The qualitative data were transcribed and aggregated into themes in NVivo V.12 Plus using inductive and deductive approaches.Setting This study was conducted in four secondary-level public Kenyan hospitals across four counties between March and December 2021. The selected hospitals were part of the Clinical Information Network.Participants Purposive sampling method was used to identify administrative and front-line healthcare providers and patients. We conducted 12 in-depth interviews with 11 healthcare workers and patient journeys of 7 patients. Informed consent was sought from the participants and maintained throughout the study.Results We identified a cycle of suboptimal systems for care with adaptive mechanisms that prevent quality care to critically ill patients. We identified suboptimal systems for identification of critical illness, inadequate resources for continuity care and disruption of the flow of care, as the major causes of delays in identification and the initiation of essential care to critically ill patients. Our study also illuminated the contribution of inflexible bureaucratic non-clinical business-related organisational processes to third delay.Conclusion Eliminating or reducing delays after patients arrive at the hospital is a time-sensitive measure that could improve the care outcomes of critically ill patients. This is achievable through an essential emergency and critical care package within the hospitals. Our findings can help emphasise the need for standardised effective and reliable care priorities to maintain of care of critically ill patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e2606c4955a24b258a5d935f1e350f25 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-e2606c4955a24b258a5d935f1e350f252025-08-20T02:12:38ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552024-01-0114110.1136/bmjopen-2023-072341Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in KenyaMike English0Jacob McKnight1Tim Baker2Carl Otto Schell3Karima Khalid4Elibariki Mkumbo5John Maiba6Onesmus O Onyango7Tamara M Willows8Jacquie N Oliwa91 Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, KenyaOxford Centre for Global Health Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UKDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenMuhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of TanzaniaIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic ofIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic ofKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaNuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaObjectives Third delay refers to delays in delivering requisite care to patients after they arrive at a health facility. In low-resource care settings, effective triage and flow of care are difficult to guarantee. In this study, we aimed to identify delays in the delivery of care to critically ill patients and possible ways to address these delays.Design This was an exploratory qualitative study using in-depth interviews and patient journeys. The qualitative data were transcribed and aggregated into themes in NVivo V.12 Plus using inductive and deductive approaches.Setting This study was conducted in four secondary-level public Kenyan hospitals across four counties between March and December 2021. The selected hospitals were part of the Clinical Information Network.Participants Purposive sampling method was used to identify administrative and front-line healthcare providers and patients. We conducted 12 in-depth interviews with 11 healthcare workers and patient journeys of 7 patients. Informed consent was sought from the participants and maintained throughout the study.Results We identified a cycle of suboptimal systems for care with adaptive mechanisms that prevent quality care to critically ill patients. We identified suboptimal systems for identification of critical illness, inadequate resources for continuity care and disruption of the flow of care, as the major causes of delays in identification and the initiation of essential care to critically ill patients. Our study also illuminated the contribution of inflexible bureaucratic non-clinical business-related organisational processes to third delay.Conclusion Eliminating or reducing delays after patients arrive at the hospital is a time-sensitive measure that could improve the care outcomes of critically ill patients. This is achievable through an essential emergency and critical care package within the hospitals. Our findings can help emphasise the need for standardised effective and reliable care priorities to maintain of care of critically ill patients.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/1/e072341.full |
| spellingShingle | Mike English Jacob McKnight Tim Baker Carl Otto Schell Karima Khalid Elibariki Mkumbo John Maiba Onesmus O Onyango Tamara M Willows Jacquie N Oliwa Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya BMJ Open |
| title | Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya |
| title_full | Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya |
| title_short | Third delay in care of critically ill patients: a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in Kenya |
| title_sort | third delay in care of critically ill patients a qualitative investigation of public hospitals in kenya |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/1/e072341.full |
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