Barriers and opportunities of establishing an integrated prehospital emergency response system in North West Ethiopia: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Prehospital emergency care helps to reduce mortality and morbidity from time-sensitive conditions. In this study, we summarised the perspectives of various stakeholders on the establishment of a prehospital integrated emergency response system. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using a key informant interview. We used a purposive sampling technique to select participants from the sector offices based on their proximity to the problem under consideration. We took verbal informed consent from each participant before the interviews. We conducted a thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-three study participants, working at six sector offices (the zonal health office, University of Gondar, traffic office, fire extinguisher office, the Amhara regional health bureau and the Ethiopian red cross association), were included in this study. Five major themes have emerged. The themes that emerged include participants’ views on the importance of prehospital service, barriers and opportunities for establishing the system, and how to start and sustain the system. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Lack of resources is not the main reason for the lack of prehospital emergency care in the study area rather; lack of commitment, ownership and high turnover of decision-makers were the main reasons for the absence of prehospital care, as viewed by respondents. On the other side, the availability of professionals, training institutions and the fact that emergency care is a shared agenda by different stakeholders were stated as an opportunity to establish the system. With the growing number of injuries and non-communicable diseases, emergency management should get due attention.