Summary
In the article titled, ‘Influenza Preparedness in Low-resource Settings: a Look at Oxygen Delivery in 12 African Countries’, Belle, Cohen, Shindo, Lim, Velazquez-Berumen, and Ndihokubwayo (2010) investigate the preparedness of 12 African countries’ healthcare systems for influenza outbreaks. Belle et al. (2010) assert that while influenza is a serious threat to many populations in these countries, the few resources at the disposal of many healthcare resources pose an even greater risk in the event of an influenza outbreak. According to Belle et al. (2010), many healthcare facilities in countries that are being studied are inadequate. They experience even more challenges in terms of the accessibility of healthcare for patients. The situation even makes the risk even higher.
Analysis
The key strength of the article lies in its wide scope of reporting, which covers 12 African countries whose populations are at risk of influenza. Further, through the assistance of the World Healthcare Organization (WHO), it is evident that the credibility of the data and findings is affirmed. Belle et al. (2010) use survey method to take stock of the available resources such as the availability of oxygen and the associated infrastructure across 231 health centers. The survey effectively gives a snapshot of the level of preparedness of the healthcare systems for outbreaks of Influenza. The weakness of the article is that it makes important recommendations that relate to more investments in critical infrastructure in the countries survey, yet it does not adequately deal with the challenge of accessing funds. This challenge is the main hindrance to these proposed investments. Further, its focus on only one disease, namely influenza, leaves a lot to be discovered concerning the preparedness levels of healthcare facilities for other diseases.
Key Elements
The key idea that is presented in the paper is the lack of adequate preparedness in terms of addressing some illnesses such as influenza in resource-limited healthcare facilities. The findings of the research from the survey clearly show how resource-limited the health facilities are. This issue is a major concern that should be addressed to increase the preparedness of health care facilities in the countries that are mentioned in the study.
Reflection
The findings of the research indicate that only 43.8% of the healthcare facilities surveyed have an uninterrupted supply of oxygen, which is highly worrying. Further, only 24.6% of the hospitals have an operational air gadget while only 35.1% of them are connected to power. These trends show the dire need for more resources to be dedicated to improving critical infrastructures that can help healthcare facilities to handle healthcare emergencies such as influenza outbreaks. The future implications of this study are several. Firstly, there is a need for more research to be done on other diseases to ensure that the interventions that will be put forward will cater to a larger scope of diseases. Lastly, there is the need for prioritization to be done to guide proper utilization of the limited resources to provide the critical and much-needed resources to address emergency needs in the event of disease outbreaks in regions where healthcare institutions operate in resource-limited environments.
Reference List
Belle, M., Cohen, J., Shindo, N., Lim, L., Velazquez-Berumen, A., & Ndihokubwayo, B. (2010). Influenza preparedness in low-resource settings: a look at oxygen delivery in 12 African countries. The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, 4(7), 419-424.