Impact of the Use of a WhatsApp-based Group Chat for Sharing Emergency Department Access-Block Data on Overcrowding and Census in a Low-Resource Emergency Department in Kigali, Rwanda

In Low & Middle Income Countries (LMICs), hospitals often face serious communication issues that threaten to paralyze the process of healthcare provision. Using WhatsApp-based Group Chat for sharing the real-time caseloads, the number of patients boarding the emergency room has significantly improved.

Authors: Menelas Nkeshimana1, 2, Christine Uwineza1, Amelia Y Pousson3, Giles N Cattermole2, 4 
Affiliations:

  • Department of Accident & Emergency, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali, Rwanda
  • University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kigali, Rwanda 
  • Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, USA 
  • Department of Emergency Medicine, King’s College Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK