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. 2022 Mar 24;19(7):3872.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073872.

A Critical Analysis of the COVID-19 Hospitalization Network in Countries with Limited Resources

Marcio L V Araujo  1   2   3 , José G V Miranda  4 , Rodrigo N Vasconcelos  5 , Elaine C B Cambui  6 , Raphael S Rosário  4 , Márcio C F Macedo  4 , Antonio C Bandeira  7 , Márcia S P L Souza  7 , Ana C F N Silva  7 , Aloisio S Nascimento Filho  3   8 , Thiago B Murari  3   8 , Eduardo M F Jorge  3   9 , Hugo Saba  1   3   9
Affiliations

A Critical Analysis of the COVID-19 Hospitalization Network in Countries with Limited Resources

Marcio L V Araujo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

To effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic, countries with limited resources could only allocate intensive and non-intensive care units to a low number of regions. In this work, we evaluated the actual displacement of infected patients in search of care, aiming to understand how the networks of planned and actual hospitalizations take place. To assess the flow of hospitalizations outside the place of residence, we used the concepts of complex networks. Our findings indicate that the current distribution of health facilities in Bahia, Brazil, is not sufficient to effectively reduce the distances traveled by patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization. We believe that unnecessary trips to distant hospitals can put both the sick and the healthy involved in the transport process at risk, further delaying the stabilization of the COVID-19 pandemic in each region of the state of Bahia. From the results found, we concluded that, to mitigate this situation, the implementation of health units in countries with limited resources should be based on scientific methods, and international collaborations should be established.

Keywords: government; hospitalization; pandemics; public policy; transportation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A visual comparison between the expected (a) and observed (b) hospitalization networks for COVID-19 patients in Bahia, Brazil. Source: Author.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A histogram with the frequencies of expected (red) and observed (black) distances traveled by COVID-19 patients. Source: Author.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) A visualization of the East and East-Central regions. (b) A visualization of the East, East-Central, and North-Central regions. Source: Author.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) A visualization of the Extreme-South, East, South-West, and South regions. (b) A visualization of the East and South-West regions. Source: Author.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) A visualization of the East-Central, East, Northeast regions. (b) A visualization of the East and North regions. Source: Author.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) A visualization of the East, West, South-West regions. (b) A visualization of the East, South-West and South regions. Source: Author.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics Estimated Population in Bahia, Brazil. [(accessed on 20 November 2021)]; Available online: https://cidades.ibge.gov.br/brasil/ba/panorama.
    1. World Health Organization . Considerations for Quarantine of Individuals in the Context of Containment for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Interim Guidance. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2020. No. WHO/2019-nCov/IHR_Quarantine/2020.1.
    1. Tanaka O.Y., Oliveira V.E. Reforms and organization of the British National Health System: Lessons to the Brazilian National Health System. Saúde Soc. 2007;16:7–17. doi: 10.1590/S0104-12902007000100002. - DOI
    1. Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil. [(accessed on 20 November 2021)]; Available online: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm.
    1. Lei Orgânica de Saúde. [(accessed on 20 November 2021)];1990 Lei n° 8.080. Available online: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l8080.htm.

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