Emergency Department Preparedness in Five Quaternary Hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria

Background Emergency medicine is a specialty that is on the rise in Nigeria. The first emergency medicine registrars have just started their senior residency; the first physicians receiving training in emergency medicine within the country of Nigeria are still in training. As these physicians finish training and enter the consultant physician workforce, what will their practice environments look like? More broadly, what does tertiary emergency care look like in Lagos, Nigeria? As a city of over 20 million and an economic powerhouse, it is likely to be the practice environment of many of the first homegrown emergency medicine physicians within Nigeria. Methods Using the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Unit Assessment Tool (HEAT), we will evaluate the preparedness of five quaternary hospitals in Lagos to provide emergency care. Results The results of this study are still pending. However, they will provide an opportunity to examine the strengths and opportunities for improvement within the quaternary care ecosystem in Lagos. Conclusion The development and advancement of emergency medicine is nonlinear. We anticipate that this study will reveal some common threads between the different facilities. These common themes can then be leveraged to form coalitions to work with suppliers, funders, and governmental actors to find solutions.