Abstract
Very little information exists about the causes of death in Zambian Hospitals. Recording of health related vital events in Zambia is often incomplete, and thus government relies on inaccurate verbal autopsies and models to guide policy and monitor increasing amounts of donor aid given towards the eradication of specific diseases. As most developing regions of the world are undergoing gradual epidemiologic transition, in-patient hospital mortality patterns become more important in reflecting this transition.The purpose of this study was to establish the inpatient mortality patterns among patients admitted to the adult medical wards of Kitwe Teaching Hospital between June 2018 and June 2019.The files of patients who had died between June 2018 and June 2019 were reviewed and death information extracted by a combined team of clinicians. This information was then inputted and analysed using SPSS version 16.0 for windows.It was observed that most (n=145, 56.60%) deaths occurred within 72 hours of admission, 47% of these deaths were of Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) positive patients (p=0.04). 55% of all HIV positive related mortalities occurred within 72 hours of admission. There was a bimodal distribution of causes of death with deaths due to communicable diseases (n=118, 46.09%) occurring in the younger age groups (median age 36, p=0.000) and HIV positive and deaths due to non-communicable diseases (n=138, 53.9%) occurring in the older age groups (median age 54, p=0.000) and HIV negative. HIV (n=124, 48.44%) and TB (n=54, 21.10%) were the leading communicable causes of death. Stroke (n=37, 14.50%) and heart failure (n=24, 9.40%) were leading non-communicable causes of death. Hypertension was the most common associated cause of death (n=38, 13.80%). Overall, more men died than women (male to female ratio 1.49:1), men died at a younger age (median age 42, p=0.180) compared to women (median age 46, p=0.180).Most patients died within 72 hours of admission, with the young dying mainly from communicable diseases associated with HIV and the elderly from non-communicable diseases associated with hypertension.
Highlights
Most people in Africa and Asia, and many in other regions, are born and die without leaving a trace in any legal record or official statistics [1]
Most patients died within 72 hours of admission, with the young dying mainly from communicable diseases associated with HIV and the elderly from non-communicable diseases associated with hypertension
The findings of this study indicate that more in hospital deaths in medical wards at Kitwe Teaching Hospital occur among men than women (n=153, 59.77%; n=103,40.23%) with a male to female ratio of 1.49:1
Summary
Most people in Africa and Asia, and many in other regions, are born and die without leaving a trace in any legal record or official statistics [1]. Hospital inpatient mortality is one of the quality measures that can reflect both improvements in health care and patterns in mortality over time [13]. Studies on the trends of inpatient mortality can help researchers and policymakers assess the impact of health care quality efforts. Examining these trends across patient and hospital may inform strategies for addressing disparities in health care quality by identifying groups that are leading and lagging behind in improvement [13]. To respond effectively to changing epidemiological profiles, countries depend on reliable information on causes of mortality [14]. As most developing regions of the world are undergoing gradual epidemiologic transition, inpatient hospital mortality patterns become more important in reflecting this transition
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
