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J Pediatr Intensive Care 2017; 06(01): 066-076
DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1584677
Review Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The Assessment, Evaluation, and Management of the Critically Ill Child in Resource-Limited International Settings

Tina Slusher
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
2   Department of Pediatrics, Hennepin County Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
,
Ashley Bjorklund
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
,
Hellen T. Aanyu
3   Department of Pediatrics, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
,
Andrew Kiragu
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
2   Department of Pediatrics, Hennepin County Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
,
Christo Philip
4   Department of Emergency and Intensive Care, Duncan Hospital, Raxaul, Bihar, India
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

05 June 2015

22 March 2016

Publication Date:
29 June 2016 (online)

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Abstract

Providing evidence-based care to the critically ill child including assessment, evaluation, and management in resource-limited settings provides unique challenges and limitless opportunities to significantly impact morbidity and mortality in these settings. Difficulties encountered include: determining which disease processes will benefit most from critical care in resource-limited settings, lack of triage tools and adjuncts to help with assessment, finite laboratory and radiological tests, limited understanding of key findings in critically ill/injured pediatric patients, (especially by those without pediatric focused training), and finally, lack of supplies, medicines, equipment, and training of health care providers to appropriately treat critically ill children in these resource-limited settings. In this review, the most common problems encountered and possible solutions to overcome these obstacles are discussed.

Keywords

intensive care unit - critical care - low-resource setting
 

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