Patient Characteristics from an Emergency Care Center in Rural Western Kenya

Emergency care is a neglected area of focus in many low- and middle-income countries. There is a paucity of research on types and frequencies of acute illnesses and injuries in low-resource settings.

The primary objective of this study was to describe the demographic characteristics and emergency conditions of patients that presented to a new emergency care center (ECC) at Sagam Community Hospital in Luanda, Kenya.

Patient demographic characteristics, modes of arrival, chief symptoms, triage priorities, self-reported human immunodeficiency virus status, tests performed, interventions, discharge diagnoses, and dispositions were collected for all patients that presented to the Sagam Community Hospital ECC.

Between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017, 14,518 patients presented to the ECC. The most common mode of arrival to Sagam Community Hospital was by foot (n = 12,605 [86.8%]). There were 8931 (61.5%) female patients and 5571 (38.4%) male patients. Of the total visits, 12,668 (87.3%) were triaged Priority III (lowest priority), 1239 (8.5%) were Priority II, and 293 (2.0%) were Priority I (highest priority). The most common chief symptoms were headache (n = 3923 [15.2%]), hotness of body or chills (n = 2877 [8.8%]), and cough (n = 1827 [5.5%]). The three most common discharge diagnoses were malaria (n = 3692 [18.9%]), acute upper respiratory infection (n = 1242 [6.3%]), and gastritis/duodenitis (n = 1210 [6.2%]).

Although opening an ECC in rural Kenya attracted patients in need of care, access was limited primarily to those that could arrive on foot. ECCs in rural sub-Saharan Africa have the potential to provide quality care and support attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.