Association between the EVD epidemic and numbers and cadres of healthcare providers in post in Sierra Leone at healthcare facilities designated to provide BEmOC or CEmOC
| Mean number of healthcare providers per healthcare facility | EVD epidemic* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facility providing BEmOC | Facility providing CEmOC | |||||
| Cadre of staff | No Ebola (n=1035) | Ebola (n=395) | No Ebola (n=207) | Ebola (n=79) | Ratio of means (95% CI) | p Value |
| Specialist doctor | 0 | 0 | 0.34 | 0.39 | 1.00 (0.67 to 1.51) | 0.99 |
| Medical doctor‡ | 0.002 | 0.018 | 1.61 | 1.90 | 1.12 (0.93 to 1.36) | 0.24 |
| CHO | 1.05 | 1.10 | 1.29 | 1.46 | 1.03 (0.93 to 1.14) | 0.54 |
| Registered midwives | 1.04 | 1.02 | 2.63 | 2.71 | 0.97 (0.88 to 1.06) | 0.52 |
| Registered nurses | 0 | 0 | 0.55 | 0.60 | 0.98 (0.71 to 1.37) | 0.92 |
| Nurse anaesthetist | 2.10 | 2.40 | 1.01 (0.86 to 1.22) | 0.87 | ||
| State enrolled community nurses | 1.56 | 1.85 | 9.96 | 11.33 | 1.06 (1.00 to 1.12) | 0.06 |
| Maternal and child health aides | 1.82 | 2.04 | 1.52 | 1.51 | 1.02 (0.94 to 1.10) | 0.65 |
| Nurse aide | 0.35 | 0.42 | 2.57 | 2.69 | 1.03 (0.91 to 1.16) | 0.62 |
| Total of cadre above | 5.82 | 6.46 | 24.0 | 26.2 | 1.03 (1.00 to 1.07) | 0.09 |
| Traditional birth attendant | 3.85 | 4.35 | 1.19 | 0.98 | 1.03 (0.97 to 1.09) | 0.33 |
| Student§ | 1.86 | 0.34 | 5.28 | 3.39 | 0.33 (0.29 to 0.37) | <0.001 |
| Total | 11.49 | 11.11 | 29.2 | 29.9 | 0.92 (0.90 to 0.95) | <0.001 |
*Ebola cases were confirmed in the district in the previous month.
‡Data missing at one CEmOC facility from March 2014, treated as 0 in derivation of totals, but missing in analysis of this cadre.
§Data missing throughout at five facilities, and on four other occasions in April and May 2013, treated as 0 in derivation of totals, but missing in analysis of this cadre.
BEmOC, basic emergency obstetric care; CEmOC, comprehensive emergency obstetric care; CHO, Community Health Worker; EVD, Ebola virus disease.