RESUMO
PURPOSE: We evaluated critical care capacity in the 15 intensive care units (ICUs) in public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to determine the current state of critical care in the city and inform capacity-building efforts. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of ICU medical and nursing directors or their delegates using a standardized questionnaire based on World Federation of Society of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSICCM) criteria. RESULTS: ICU size ranged from 3 to 15 beds. All ICUs had capacity for mechanical ventilation and vasopressor support, and 53% had intensivists on staff. Ultrasound was available in 93%, while 40% had capacity for invasive blood pressure monitoring. Identified barriers to care included a lack of essential equipment, supplies, medications and specially trained providers. Respondents considered increasing available beds and coordinating between hospitals crucial for capacity building. CONCLUSIONS: There is burgeoning critical care capacity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with 103 ICU beds in public hospitals, and the WFSICCM criteria provide a useful framework for evaluating critical care capacity and identifying priorities for capacity building. All ICUs in public hospitals in Addis Ababa were able to provide basic support for patients with life-threatening organ failure but demonstrated marked heterogeneity in critical care capacity.
