The management of diseases has always been problematic, particularly in resource-limited setups due to several factors. Among the main challenges affecting the control of treatable diseases is the preparedness of health facilities to deal with emergent outbreaks. An example of a treatable disease that hospital preparedness mainly impacts is measles. This paper will entail the review of Shakoor et al.’s (2015) article titled, “Hospital Preparedness in community measles outbreaks: challenges and recommendations for a resource-limited setup” with a view of identifying challenges and developing recommendations that will enhance preparedness. Though the information from the article seems to be of value to the entire public, the primary audience seems to be community health workers, as well as other health providers.
This article aims to examine the level of preparedness of hospitals to deal with an outbreak of measles in the community. The main focus of the authors was identifying the challenges that prevent hospitals from being sufficiently prepared. Based on these challenges, guidelines that would help improve the preparedness of the hospital were to be developed. Data collection involved the review of published articles retrieved from PubMed and other materials retrieved by the use of online search engines, such as Google. Several challenges about the timely diagnosis of the condition, and lack of resources to fully implement preventive mechanisms were identified. The study recommended that vaccination should be mandatory for all health workers and persons who were not affected. It also recommended the provision of sufficient post-exposure prophylaxis to patients who were immunocompromised and continuous surveillance to improve the level of measles management.
Though this research article is timely and presents valid and important findings, limitations associated with the study setup make it less ideal. The weakness of the authors is evident in the manner in which they document the abstract. The abstract does not provide a picture of what is contained in the article. It does not indicate the aims of the study, methodologies, research findings, or even the conclusion drawn from the study. In addition, the literature review provided is shallow and does not lead one to the study question. Though the method of study was sufficient to retrieve the required number of articles, the authors did not state the basis for selecting the articles or rejecting them. However, the study’s strength was that it comprehensively analyzed each of the identified challenges and provided a comprehensive guideline, which was in line with the recommendations presented in other studies, such as the study done by Izadi, Zahraie, and Sartipi (2012).
This article presents important ideas that are of value in managing community outbreaks. The article supports the notion that every individual should be immunized against preventable diseases. All health providers should be vaccinated to protect them from acquiring the same disease when offering treatment. In the event of an outbreak, immunocompromised patients should be given sufficient post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the disease from overspreading and developing to fatality. It is hypothesized that the main reason for the lack of preparedness in a resource-limited setup is the lack of resources. This study supports this hypothesis, although it adds other factors contributing to the same. The findings mean that the relevant authorities need to invest more in health institutions to enable them to prepare adequately to deal with emergent diseases.
References
Izadi, S., Zahraie, S. M., & Sartipi, M. (2012). An investigation into a measles outbreak in southeast Iran. Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases, 65, 45-51.
Shakoor, S., Mir, F., Zaidi, MK., & Zafar, A. (2015). Hospital preparedness in community measles outbreak: challenges and recommendations for low resource setting. Emerging Health Threats Journal, 8, 24173. Web.