Improving Hospital Oxygen Systems for COVID-19 in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons From the Field

Oxygen therapy is an essential medicine and core component of effective hospital systems. However, many hospitals in low- and middle-income countries lack reliable oxygen access-a deficiency highlighted and exacerbated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Oxygen access can be challenged b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Global health science and practice Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 858 - 862
Main Authors:	Graham, Hamish R, Bagayana, Sheillah M, Bakare, Ayobami A, Olayo, Bernard O, Peterson, Stefan S, Duke, Trevor, Falade, Adegoke G
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Global Health: Science and Practice 23-12-2020
Subjects:	COVID-19 - epidemiology COVID-19 - therapy Developing Countries Health Services Accessibility Hospital Administration - statistics & numerical data Humans Medicin och hälsovetenskap Oximetry Oxygen - supply & distribution Oxygen Inhalation Therapy - methods Oxygen Inhalation Therapy - statistics & numerical data Pandemics SARS-CoV-2 Technical Note
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Summary:	Oxygen therapy is an essential medicine and core component of effective hospital systems. However, many hospitals in low- and middle-income countries lack reliable oxygen access-a deficiency highlighted and exacerbated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Oxygen access can be challenged by equipment that is low quality and poorly maintained, lack of clinical and technical training and protocols, and deficiencies in local infrastructure and policy environment. We share learnings from 2 decades of oxygen systems work with hospitals in Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions, highlighting practical actions that hospitals can take to immediately expand oxygen access. These include strategies to: (1) improve pulse oximetry and oxygen use, (2) support biomedical engineers to optimize existing oxygen supplies, and (3) expand on existing oxygen systems with robust equipment and smart design. We make all our resources freely available for use and local adaptation.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2169-575X 2169-575X
DOI:	10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00224