Determining the utility and durability of medical equipment donated to a rural clinic in a low-income country.
Determining the utility and durability of medical equipment donated to a rural clinic in a low-income country.
复制标题
确定捐赠给低收入国家农村诊所的医疗设备的实用性和耐用性。
DOI：
10.1093/inthealth/ihu091
复制
发表时间：
2015
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Bose,Carl
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bauserman,Melissa;Hailey,Claire;Gado,Justin;Lokangaka,Adrien;Williams,Jessica;Richards-Kortum,Rebecca;Tshefu,Antoinette;Bose,Carl
背景低收入国家的卫生中心经常依靠捐赠来提供适当的诊断设备。然而，捐赠有时是在不了解受赠人的需求、实际限制或供应可持续性的情况下进行的。方法我们向刚果民主共和国的一个农村卫生中心捐赠了一套物理诊断设备、非侵入性仪器测试和实验室用品。我们收集了每一位患者在一年期间的设备和用品的使用情况和耐用性的信息。最常用的物理诊断设备是听诊器(98.9%；903/913)、体温计(81.7%；746/913)、成人秤(81.4%；744/913)、秒表(62.6%；572/913)、成人血压计(55.8%；510/913)、婴儿秤(24.9%；228/913)、量尺(24.3%；222/913)和胎儿镜(23.8%；218/913)。最常用的实验室检查是血液涂片(53.7%；491/913)、红细胞压积(23.5%；215/913)、尿检(20.1%；184/913)和痰涂片(13.3%；122/913)。除手电筒和太阳能灯外，所有设备均正常工作。结论本研究为刚果民主共和国某卫生中心提供的设备的实用性和耐用性提供了有价值的信息。我们的结果可能有助于确定在类似环境下捐赠的医疗设备的适当性。在选择捐赠物品时，应了解捐赠物品的使用情况，并监测其使用情况。
BackgroundHealth centers in low-income countries often depend on donations to provide appropriate diagnostic equipment. However, donations are sometimes made without an understanding of the recipient's needs, practical constraints or sustainability of supplies.MethodsWe donated a set of physical diagnostic equipment, non-invasive instrument tests and laboratory supplies to a rural health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We collected information on the usage and durability of equipment and supplies for each patient encounter over a 1-year period.ResultsWe recorded 913 patient encounters. The most commonly used physical diagnostic equipment were the stethoscope (98.9%; 903/913), thermometer (81.7%; 746/913), adult scale (81.4%; 744/913), stop watch (62.6%; 572/913), adult sphygmomanometer (55.8%; 510/913), infant scale (24.9%; 228/913), measuring tape (24.3%; 222/913) and fetoscope (23.8%; 218/913). The most commonly used laboratory tests were the blood smear for malaria (53.7%; 491/913), hematocrit (23.5%; 215/913), urinalysis (20.1%; 184/913) and sputum stain for TB (13.3%; 122/913). With the exception of a penlight and solar lantern, all equipment remained functional.ConclusionsThis study adds valuable information about the utility and durability of equipment supplied to a health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our results might aid in determining the appropriateness of donated medical equipment in similar settings. The selection of donated goods should be made with knowledge of the context in which it will be used, and utilization should be monitored.