1. A survey on the resources and practices in pediatric critical care of resource-rich and resource-limited countries
- Author
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Sandeep Tripathi, Ognjen Gajic, Srinivas Murthy, Yue Dong, Harsheen Kaur, and Rahul Kashyap
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Low- and middle-income countries ,Resource (biology) ,business.industry ,Research ,International survey ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,Pediatric critical care ,Multinational corporation ,Family medicine ,Intensive care ,Medicine ,business ,Developed country ,Limited resources ,Disease burden - Abstract
Background Contemporary critical care research necessitates involvement of multiple centers, preferably from many countries. Adult and pediatric research networks have produced outstanding data; however, their involvement is restricted to a small percentage of the industrialized nations. Implementation of their findings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is fraught with challenges. Methods We conducted an online international survey to assess and compare disease burden and resources to participate in multicenter research studies through a listserv of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. Respondents were grouped into high-income countries and LMICs on the basis of World Bank classification. Results Survey was completed by 73 centers in 34 countries (34 from high-income countries and 39 from LMICs). Compared with high-income countries, the pediatric intensive care units in LMICs were characterized by a lower number of critical care specialists, more difficult access to hemodialysis, and a lower number of elective postoperative patients, but a similar overall disease burden. Training and resources for research were comparable in the two cohorts. Conclusions Although differences exist in access to both trained providers and equipment, the survey results were more striking in their similarity. It is essential that centers from LMICs be included in multinational studies, to generate results applicable to all children worldwide.
- Published
- 2015