Delays in emergency medical care: a cross-sectional study using the emergency severity index at Kaya Regional Hospital, Burkina Faso

Authors

  • Pengdewendé Maurice SAWADOGO
  • Makougnonhèa KPAMI Direction Générale, Centre Médico-Chirurgical Morija, Kaya, Burkina Faso
  • B. A. Rachid BADO Service des Urgences Médicales, Centre Hospitalier Régional de Kaya, Kaya, Burkina Faso
  • Abel Téwendé KINDA Direction Générale, ENSP, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Edgar OUANGRE Direction Générale, ENSP, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/rasp.v7i2.18

Keywords:

medical emergencies, delays, emergency severity index, public hospital, Kaya

Abstract

Medical emergencies must be promptly treated to avoid death and serious complications. This study assessed the extent and factors contributing to the delayed care in public hospitals. This cross-sectional study was conducted from 07 to 23 October, 2024, involving 162 patients admitted to the medical emergency department of the regional hospital of Kaya. The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) scale was used to identify delays in care delivery. Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Chi-square tests were used, at the 5% threshold, to estimate the statistical significance of relationships between variables. The results showed that the median time to care provision was 60 min (5 -213 min). Additionally, 79% of patients experienced delays in their management. No significant link was found between the delay in care and patients' sociodemographic characteristics. On the other hand, the extent of delay differed significantly according to disease severity (p=0.002), with 100% of the most severe patients (grades 1 and 2) being managed late compared with 8% of the least severe cases (grade 5). The absence of emergency drugs available within the service, the absence of predefined emergency kits at the Essential and Generic Drugs deposit, and the payment system are factors contributing to the delay in care. Making emergency medicine kits available in the emergency department and introducing prepayment-free treatment would appear to be levers for reducing delays in treating medical emergencies in public hospitals. 

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Published

2025-11-21 — Updated on 2025-11-24

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Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2025): July - December 2025

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Copyright (c) 2025 Pengdewendé Maurice SAWADOGO , Makougnonhèa KPAMI, B. A. Rachid BADO, Abel Téwendé KINDA, Edgar OUANGRE

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How to Cite

Delays in emergency medical care: a cross-sectional study using the emergency severity index at Kaya Regional Hospital, Burkina Faso. (2025). Revue Africaine Des Sciences Sociales Et De La Santé Publique, 7(2), 258-268. https://doi.org/10.4314/rasp.v7i2.18 (Original work published 2025)