Study published by Dr Lucia D'Ambruoso and her collaborators on the Rwanda912 RIGHT Group.
The study aimed to improve the prehospital emergency care system in Rwanda by understanding how patients are transported to the right hospital at the right time.
Two workshops were conducted to map out the processes and information flows involved in transporting emergency patients, which were further validated through field observations. The study involved 24 healthcare professionals and observed 49 emergencies in both rural and urban settings. Four main process stages were identified: call triage, scene triage, patient monitoring during transport, and handover at the hospital. It was found that rural areas had multiple entry points for emergencies, while urban areas had a single entry point through a national emergency number. Despite collecting extensive information to guide hospital decisions, participants struggled to explain their decision-making process, and no guidelines were used.
The study suggests that standardizing care pathways through protocols could improve efficiency in decision-making.
Read the publication: Rwanda912 RIGHT Group. Mapping the processes and information flows of a prehospital emergency care system in Rwanda: a process mapping exercise. BMJ Open 2024 14(6):e085064. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085064