The performance of hospitals in delivering paediatric care in developing countries: a summary of some recent findings
| Reference | Findings |
|---|---|
| Nolan et al12 | No or ineffective triage for sick children arriving at hospital, resulting in potentially dangerous delays in initiating treatment |
| Absence of basic, essential supplies for handling emergencies in “walk-in” areas of the hospital | |
| Indications of some inadequacy in care in 76% of admitted children | |
| Inadequate knowledge base of many health professionals for even common, serious childhood disorders | |
| English et al13,14 | Absence of paediatricians and doctors, limited numbers of nurses |
| Basic resources often missing or inadequate, for example: | |
| Oxygen | |
| Blood for transfusion | |
| Phototherapy equipment | |
| Inhaled therapy for asthma | |
| Feeds for malnourished children or sick newborn infants | |
| Lack of access to or knowledge about modern case management approaches | |
| Basic laboratory investigations (e.g. examination of CSF) unavailable, of poor quality, or not used | |
| Serious dose errors for even commonly used drugs | |
| Inadequate/inappropriate use of intravenous fluids |