Evaluation of the implementation of the Critical Care Asia and Africa Intensive Care Unit registry in Ethiopia

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) capacity is underdeveloped in sub-Saharan Africa, and outcomes for critical care lag behind higher resource settings. It is essential to understand local case-mix, processes of care and clinical outcomes in African ICUs to close these gaps. To this end, ICU registries are valuable tools for clinical research, quality improvement and capacity building. The Critical Care in Asia and Africa (CCAA) Network has specially developed a novel ICU registry for resource-limited settings.

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived sustainability of the CCAA ICU registry in the Ethiopian clinical context.

Methods: Eight months following the pilot implementation of the CCAA ICU registry at two academic medical centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we conducted a qualitative evaluation. We conducted key informant interviews and focus group discussions with members of the ICU registry team, medical and nursing staff, and leadership team. We coded and analyzed transcripts deductively using a thematic content approach.

Results: Emergent themes related to feasibility included data collection, data quality and factors necessary for success. Those related to acceptability included utility, accessibility and comparison to other methods. Those related to perceived sustainability included institutional future, ownership and expansion. Overall, respondents felt that the CCAA ICU registry was feasible and acceptable in their ICUs. They identified important threats to perceived sustainability including multiple channels of communication and infrastructure and human resource limitations, and proposed adaptations to address these threats.

Conclusion: The CCAA ICU registry is a promising tool for research and quality improvement in ICUs in sub-Saharan Africa, but successful implementation requires a clear understanding of regional and institutional influencing factors.