Out of hospital emergency care in Nigeria: A narrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Out of Hospital Emergency Care (OHEC) in Nigeria, the most populous country with the highest GDP in Africa, is considered inadequate. A better understanding of the current state of OHEC is essential to address the country's unique challenges and offer potential solutions. Objectives: This paper sought to identify gaps, barriers, and facilitators in implementing an OHEC model in Nigeria and provide recommendations for improvement. Methods: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (OVID), CINAHL (EBSCO), and Google Scholar, using combinations of "emergency medical care" ('FRC,' 'PHC,' and 'EMS') OR prehospital care OR emergency training' AND 'Nigeria.' We included papers that described OHEC in Nigeria and were published in English. Of the initial 73 papers, those that met our inclusion criteria and those obtained after examination of reference lists comprised the 20 papers that contributed to our final review. Two authors independently reviewed all the papers, extracted data relevant to our objectives and performed a content analysis. All authors reviewed, discussed, and refined the proposed recommendations. Key recommendations: For OHEC to meet the needs of Nigerians and achieve international standards, the following challenges need to be addressed: harmful cultural practices, inadequate training of citizens in the provision of first aid or of professionals that provide prehospital care, lack of proper infrastructure, poor communication, absent policy, and poor funding. Based on the available literature, this paper proposes key recommendations to improve OHEC with the hope of improving the standards of living. The federal government should provide general oversight, but this will require political will on the part of the country's leadership and the provision of adequate funding.