Fulltext

Critical care bed capacity in Asian countries and regions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational study

Phua J 1 , Kulkarni AP 2 , Mizota T 3 , Hashemian SMR 4 , Lee WY 5 , Permpikul C 6 Show all authors , Chittawatanarat K 7 , Nitikaroon P 8 , Arabi YM 9 , Fang WF 10 , Konkayev A 11 , Hashmi M 12 , Palo JE 13 , Faruq MO 14 , Shrestha BR 15 , Kc B 15 , Mat Nor MBB 16 , Sann KK 17 , Ling L 18 , Haniffa R 19 , Al Bahrani M 20 , Mendsaikhan N 21 , Chan YH 22 , Asian Critical Care Clinical Trials (ACCCT) Group

Affiliations 

  • 1 Fast and Chronic Programmes, Alexandra Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore
  • 2 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
  • 3 Department of Anesthesia, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan
  • 4 Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Republic of Korea
  • 6 Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 7 Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 8 Health Administration Division, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
  • 9 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • 10 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • 11 Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Department, Astana Medical University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
  • 12 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 13 Acute and Critical Care Institute, The Medical City, Pasig City, Philippines
  • 14 General Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department, United Hospital Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 15 Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • 16 International Islamic University Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuantan, Malaysia
  • 17 Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Yangon General Hospital, University of Medicine 1, Yangon, Myanmar
  • 18 Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
  • 19 Network for Improving Critical Care Systems and Training, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • 20 Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman
  • 21 Mongolia-Japan Hospital, Mongolian National University Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 22 Biostatistics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore
Lancet Reg Health West Pac, 2024 Mar;44:100982.
PMID: 38143717 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100982

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of critical care. The aim of the current study was to compare the number of adult critical care beds in relation to population size in Asian countries and regions before (2017) and during (2022) the pandemic.

METHODS: This observational study collected data closest to 2022 on critical care beds (intensive care units and intermediate care units) in 12 middle-income and 7 high-income economies (using the 2022-2023 World Bank classification), through a mix of methods including government sources, national critical care societies, personal contacts, and data extrapolation. Data were compared with a prior study from 2017 of the same countries and regions.

FINDINGS: The cumulative number of critical care beds per 100,000 population increased from 3.0 in 2017 to 9.4 in 2022 (p = 0.003). The median figure for middle-income economies increased from 2.6 (interquartile range [IQR] 1.7-7.8) to 6.6 (IQR 2.2-13.3), and that for high-income economies increased from 11.4 (IQR 7.3-22.8) to 13.9 (IQR 10.7-21.7). Only 3 countries did not see a rise in bed capacity. Where data were available in 2022, 10.9% of critical care beds were in single rooms (median 5.0% in middle-income and 20.3% in high-income economies), and 5.3% had negative pressure (median 0.7% in middle-income and 18.5% in high-income economies).

INTERPRETATION: Critical care bed capacity in the studied Asian countries and regions increased close to three-fold from 2017 to 2022. Much of this increase was attributed to middle-income economies, but substantial heterogeneity exists.

FUNDING: None.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Similar publications