Preparedness of Dammam primary health care centers to deal with emergency cases

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:The objective of the study was to assess the availability of human and nonhuman resources for emergency medical services (EMSs) at the primary health care (PHC) level.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional study with mixed research methods (quantitative and qualitative) was carried out in governmental PHC centers in Dammam, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, between September 2014 and January 2015. Using systematic random sampling technique, 13 out of 26 PHC centers were included in the study. The study consisted of two main parts: The first involved the completion of an observational checklist to assess the availability and adequacy of human and nonhuman resources (workforce, emergency infrastructure, equipment, drugs and supporting facilities). The second part involved face-to-face interviews with key informants of nurses from the emergency room (ER) in the sampled centers.RESULTS:Analysis of the checklist showed that the total number of physicians “actually” present ranged from 2 to 8 per center and nurses actually present were 4–11 whereas the officially assigned number was 3–12 physicians and 8–17 nurses per center. Only 2 out of 13 (15.4%) centers had a place reserved for EMS in each male and female section. Only 4 (30.8%) PHC centers had a male ER located on the ground floor, near the entrance, and with a separate ramp. None of the centers had the emergency drugs such as metergotamine, calcium chloride, and naloxone. Regarding ER equipment, none of the studied centers had cervical collars, mouth gags, or a tracheostomy sets. Only one (7.6%) center had a functioning fully equipped ambulance. Five (38.46%) centers were equipped with electrocardiogram and X-ray machines. In the interviews, the informants confirmed the deficiencies identified in the checklist.CONCLUSION:Resources for EMS at Dammam PHC centers were deficient in infrastructure and supporting facilities.

Perception of tertiary care clients toward the availability of physical therapy service at primary health care centers in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey

“…Although participants supported the integration of physical therapists within PHC teams; however, the key cited barrier to this integration was the lack of competent PT professionals and adequately equipped facilities. This finding is similar to those identified by Alsaad et al 33) in their study examining the availability of human resources at the PHC centers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia that showed a deficiency in infrastructure and supporting facilities. According to the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS) recent report on the reality of the Saudi health workforce over the next 10 years, there are a total of 6,028 licensed physical therapists in Saudi Arabia in 2017.…”

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency department staff towards disaster and emergency preparedness at tertiary health care hospital in central Saudi Arabia

“…Moreover, quite a few studies have reported variety in staff knowledge, training and education regarding preparedness for disaster emergency incidents. [14][15][16]19,21 Thus, the objective of this study is to assess the knowledge, practices, and attitudes regarding disaster and emergency preparedness among ED staff at a tertiary health care hospital.…”

Family medicine residents’ skill levels in emergency chest X-ray interpretation

“…It is estimated that emergency cases constitute approximately 5% of all cases in primary healthcare centers [ 1 ]. The primary care centers may not be adequately equipped for proper management of emergency cases [ 2 ]. Physicians in primary healthcare centers depend largely on their skills in history taking and physical examination to establish a diagnosis considering limited access to other assessment tools [ 3 ].…”