Oxygenation Status, Prehospital Communication, and Mode of Transportation for Critically Ill Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Addis Ababa Hospitals

Background The prevalence of critical illness is increasing, posing a time-sensitive challenge to healthcare systems globally. Management of critically ill patients in emergency settings is highly dependent on prehospital care provision. Therefore, this study aimed to assess clinical profile of critically ill patients' oxygen saturation status, mode of transportation and prehospital communication upon arrival at the emergency department. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at two large Addis Ababa governmental hospitals from August 20 to October 20/2023; 202 patients were recruited via convenient technique. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire which was obtained from the previous study, and analyzed using chi-square test and simple descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and means by SPSS version 27 software. The result has been explained in sentences, graphs, and tables. Results Among 202 study participants, the pattern of prehospital communication and hypoxia were 34/202 (16.8%) and 174/202 (86%) respectively. Ambulance usage was 94/202 (46%), with no statistically significant relationship between mode of arrival and oxygenation status. Conclusion and Recommendation This study highlights the inadequacy of prehospital activation and airway management emphasizing the need for real-time care and prearrival notification to optimize patient outcomes. The evidence of this paper indicated an urge for the Ministry of Health to implement well-equipped emergency medical care systems that ensure advanced resuscitation at the scene and during ambulance transfers and facilitate central prehospital communication to activate the accepting team.