Nicholas Conradi, Robert O Opoka, Qaasim Mian, Andrea L Conroy, Laura L Hermann, Olaro Charles, Jackson Amone, Juliet Nabwire, Bonita E Lee, Abdullah Saleh, Piush Mandhane, Sophie Namasopo, Michael T Hawkes
BACKGROUND: Supplemental O2 is not always available at health facilities in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Solar-powered O2 delivery can overcome gaps in O2 access, generating O2 independent of grid electricity. We hypothesized that installation of solar-powered O2 systems on the paediatrics ward of rural Ugandan hospitals would lead to a reduction in mortality among hypoxaemic children. METHODS: In this pragmatic, country-wide, stepped-wedge, cluster randomised controlled trial, solar-powered O2 systems (ie, photovoltaic cells, battery bank, and O2 concentrator) were sequentially installed at 20 rural health facilities in Uganda...
February 14, 2024: Lancet