Assessment of Public Hospitals’ Readiness to Manage Hypoxemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rwanda, 2022

Assessment of Public Hospitals’ Readiness to Manage Hypoxemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rwanda, 2022 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessment of Public Hospitals’ Readiness to Manage Hypoxemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rwanda, 2022 Christine Kayitesi, Harriet H Webster, Hyacinthe Mushumbamwiza, and 15 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7760712/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Medical oxygen therapy is essential for treating hypoxemia, a driver of morbidity and mortality across a number of acute illnesses in children and adults. Healthcare providers must be equipped to detect hypoxemia and provide life-saving oxygen therapy. This study assessed the readiness of Rwandan public hospitals to provide oxygen therapy by evaluating availability of functional equipment, as well as healthcare workers’ self-reported experience with oxygen saturation monitoring and oxygen administration. Methods A cross-sectional study assessed public hospitals in Rwanda, between October to December 2022. The ratio of available oxygen equipment was calculated relative to need, based on patient bed counts within wards, categorized by acuity based on estimated oxygen requirements. Additionally, healthcare workers completed a self-administered survey on their experience with pulse oximetry and oxygen therapy. Results In Rwandan public hospitals, 75.6% (28/37, CI 95% 58.6–87.6%) were found to have sufficient medical oxygen therapy delivery points relative to their inpatient needs. Most, 89.2% (33/37), had piping infrastructure to safely deliver oxygen to the patient bedside. However, only 21.6% (8/37, CI 95% 10.8–38.5%) had sufficient functional pulse oximeter devices, used to detect hypoxemia. Ward specific analyses revealed differences in the distribution of equipment and infrastructures; of high-acute wards, 70.0% (7/10) Intensive Care Units had sufficient pulse oximeter devices, whilst only 40.0% (4/10) had sufficient oxygen delivery points. Whereas in medium-acute wards, 53.1% (17/32) neonatology wards met the recommended number of pulse oximeters, and 87.5% (28/32) had sufficient delivery points. Over half of healthcare workers reported only basic awareness of using pulse oximetry and providing oxygen therapy. Conclusions While Rwanda’s public hospitals demonstrate strong capacity in oxygen delivery, significant gaps in pulse oximetry and healthcare worker experience limit their full readiness to manage hypoxemia. This highlighted critical needs to strengthen capacity through increased equipment availability and healthcare worker experience, in order to deliver excellent hypoxemia management to all patients in need. Facility Readiness Hypoxemia Management Oxygen Therapy Pulse Oximetry Medical Oxygen Medical Equipment Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterial1.docx SupplementaryMaterial2.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 08 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 10 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Nov, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 17 Oct, 2025 Editor invited by journal 13 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 10 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7760712","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":527642053,"identity":"a9a4ae1e-bb1a-412f-964e-ace22ea9fdb7","order_by":0,"name":"Christine Kayitesi","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christine","middleName":"","lastName":"Kayitesi","suffix":""},{"id":527642054,"identity":"ef6f720b-c0b8-463f-a5f3-4bceee954f32","order_by":1,"name":"Harriet H Webster","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Harriet","middleName":"H","lastName":"Webster","suffix":""},{"id":527642055,"identity":"433e8ced-a568-42c2-96f1-d77f99fe59e7","order_by":2,"name":"Hyacinthe Mushumbamwiza","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hyacinthe","middleName":"","lastName":"Mushumbamwiza","suffix":""},{"id":527642056,"identity":"89260c19-b584-43d2-99ed-52ff20035524","order_by":3,"name":"Felix Musabirema","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Felix","middleName":"","lastName":"Musabirema","suffix":""},{"id":527642057,"identity":"f96aeeaa-3697-4f88-92fb-056d769c258e","order_by":4,"name":"Abhishek Tupe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abhishek","middleName":"","lastName":"Tupe","suffix":""},{"id":527642058,"identity":"1feec501-89a7-42ef-8c8b-873390356d80","order_by":5,"name":"Ndeye Sambe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ndeye","middleName":"","lastName":"Sambe","suffix":""},{"id":527642059,"identity":"94230ff8-18ba-4265-ba22-fbd39210c873","order_by":6,"name":"Tayo Olaleye","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tayo","middleName":"","lastName":"Olaleye","suffix":""},{"id":527642060,"identity":"38537715-6575-420a-9c1c-22f519e8eb96","order_by":7,"name":"Nang'andu Chizyuka","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nang'andu","middleName":"","lastName":"Chizyuka","suffix":""},{"id":527642061,"identity":"df0eee1a-d388-43c8-bd9f-507096d9f9b9","order_by":8,"name":"Alida Ngwije","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alida","middleName":"","lastName":"Ngwije","suffix":""},{"id":527642062,"identity":"9622c41b-07c8-4014-9866-5a5a4ca5174c","order_by":9,"name":"Brenda Kateera","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Brenda","middleName":"","lastName":"Kateera","suffix":""},{"id":527642063,"identity":"9bd17cf2-18fa-4309-9ca8-053642474a8a","order_by":10,"name":"Athanase Rukundo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ministry of Health","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Athanase","middleName":"","lastName":"Rukundo","suffix":""},{"id":527642064,"identity":"d754bdf5-b233-46f5-97b2-fe1951f5b9f0","order_by":11,"name":"Jean Baptiste Ntihumbya","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ministry of Health","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jean","middleName":"Baptiste","lastName":"Ntihumbya","suffix":""},{"id":527642065,"identity":"ceba2ad8-9ef9-4809-bafd-4937471fcbd5","order_by":12,"name":"Sanctus Musafiri","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Rwanda","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sanctus","middleName":"","lastName":"Musafiri","suffix":""},{"id":527642066,"identity":"2b599492-0f66-4a04-9eb8-6b5c26a8aa9b","order_by":13,"name":"Rami Subhi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Melbourne","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rami","middleName":"","lastName":"Subhi","suffix":""},{"id":527642067,"identity":"e86d8740-4ee1-4ee4-b07f-9aab8d8377e7","order_by":14,"name":"Mikael Burhin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Melbourne","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mikael","middleName":"","lastName":"Burhin","suffix":""},{"id":527642068,"identity":"a4381370-a4be-4dd2-bcca-dada0f009284","order_by":15,"name":"Hamish Graham","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"International Child Health, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Royal Children’s Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hamish","middleName":"","lastName":"Graham","suffix":""},{"id":527642069,"identity":"70159ec6-25e4-4538-8d99-38c6a8bf382c","order_by":16,"name":"Felix Lam","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Clinton Health Access Initiative","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Felix","middleName":"","lastName":"Lam","suffix":""},{"id":527642070,"identity":"0c46d3e5-d562-403f-8d24-246d83e0eedf","order_by":17,"name":"Corneille Ntihabose","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ministry of Health","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Corneille","middleName":"","lastName":"Ntihabose","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-01 15:08:23","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7760712/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7760712/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93412590,"identity":"12d5b61f-5999-431a-9572-8c4a435e7712","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:47:12","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":774748,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FinalManuscriptBMCHealthServicesResearchPublicationRevised.v2asperEditiorFeedback.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/1b802f3109382f499c83d734.docx"},{"id":93412581,"identity":"18856711-ca5b-477a-ad38-ca0d17885458","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:47:12","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":18855,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"510c85fe128f44829b714ab085b3bdbb.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/8a2ee8a25d971a1a54ef43a5.json"},{"id":93413947,"identity":"70061b2e-9ee0-4ce8-830f-dfe0164ec937","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:55:12","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":16428,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterial1.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/9f11aab49c905523ced5d854.docx"},{"id":93414248,"identity":"020b8b44-b291-4c86-b05a-45c169773e48","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 15:03:12","extension":"docx","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":38108,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterial2.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/123d535f71b1f809017bf651.docx"},{"id":93413952,"identity":"4fbc60e4-bd11-4fac-95ef-d31c7467f672","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:55:12","extension":"xml","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":166205,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"510c85fe128f44829b714ab085b3bdbb1enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/14fc9751362ef02f4e0f34a5.xml"},{"id":93416088,"identity":"7f9d4764-4b72-44cc-b3d4-16bb0942850a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 15:19:12","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":298018,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/6918ac0c199c9122f31ae55c.png"},{"id":93413946,"identity":"251969df-4ccb-4cb2-88bf-2f24d2bcff94","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:55:12","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":27267,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/e89819b67da980e05c85bf94.png"},{"id":93412583,"identity":"a21383d1-5724-41bd-9aff-b769aa9359e3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:47:12","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":26910,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/8f374c280285a3810a802e08.png"},{"id":93413951,"identity":"c6619b9a-0ba7-4df2-b361-3628908ff0e4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:55:12","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":69265,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/8ff6ced4ed95a4a8bbb6cd51.png"},{"id":93414251,"identity":"a9148f4e-31f4-44cf-81cc-222f24a70393","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 15:03:12","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":20538,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/52b1f4384fb60e9a9a096177.png"},{"id":93413954,"identity":"dcfd1748-766b-4645-9ef4-e6f9ddd8baf7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:55:12","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":19717,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/53efe494f332ea5cd98fb00a.png"},{"id":93412593,"identity":"66869a26-d5f5-4fed-bb91-a86e1602e010","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:47:12","extension":"xml","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":164718,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"510c85fe128f44829b714ab085b3bdbb1structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/5d23154ccc7be0f6225666ad.xml"},{"id":93412595,"identity":"3a9c8528-ecd8-45c9-b1bb-f10777d0e845","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:47:13","extension":"html","order_by":14,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":173324,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/fdd504975b7bd613abe25cd2.html"},{"id":93597671,"identity":"b20f3d19-3c58-43dc-8390-a865f4073f42","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-15 14:19:09","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1045061,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FinalManuscriptBMCHealthServicesResearchPublicationRevised.v2asperEditiorFeedback.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1_covered_4c013ba7-2731-4886-933b-794bfad9a78c.pdf"},{"id":93412589,"identity":"e8a27c6f-0a0e-47c2-ad16-7f0bd8b35771","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 14:47:12","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":16428,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterial1.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/53e8ae7f321ae15c56e29108.docx"},{"id":93415403,"identity":"641575d2-2768-4a68-a4bc-211f17bf343e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 15:11:12","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":38108,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterial2.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7760712/v1/05eda7ee481bbfd836f199b8.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Assessment of Public Hospitals’ Readiness to Manage Hypoxemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rwanda, 2022","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bhsr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Health Services Research](http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/BHSR/default.aspx","title":"BMC Health Services Research","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Facility Readiness, Hypoxemia Management, Oxygen Therapy, Pulse Oximetry, Medical Oxygen, Medical Equipment","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7760712/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7760712/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMedical oxygen therapy is essential for treating hypoxemia, a driver of morbidity and mortality across a number of acute illnesses in children and adults. Healthcare providers must be equipped to detect hypoxemia and provide life-saving oxygen therapy. This study assessed the readiness of Rwandan public hospitals to provide oxygen therapy by evaluating availability of functional equipment, as well as healthcare workers\u0026rsquo; self-reported experience with oxygen saturation monitoring and oxygen administration.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study assessed public hospitals in Rwanda, between October to December 2022. The ratio of available oxygen equipment was calculated relative to need, based on patient bed counts within wards, categorized by acuity based on estimated oxygen requirements. Additionally, healthcare workers completed a self-administered survey on their experience with pulse oximetry and oxygen therapy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Rwandan public hospitals, 75.6% (28/37, CI 95% 58.6\u0026ndash;87.6%) were found to have sufficient medical oxygen therapy delivery points relative to their inpatient needs. Most, 89.2% (33/37), had piping infrastructure to safely deliver oxygen to the patient bedside. However, only 21.6% (8/37, CI 95% 10.8\u0026ndash;38.5%) had sufficient functional pulse oximeter devices, used to detect hypoxemia. Ward specific analyses revealed differences in the distribution of equipment and infrastructures; of high-acute wards, 70.0% (7/10) Intensive Care Units had sufficient pulse oximeter devices, whilst only 40.0% (4/10) had sufficient oxygen delivery points. Whereas in medium-acute wards, 53.1% (17/32) neonatology wards met the recommended number of pulse oximeters, and 87.5% (28/32) had sufficient delivery points. Over half of healthcare workers reported only basic awareness of using pulse oximetry and providing oxygen therapy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Rwanda\u0026rsquo;s public hospitals demonstrate strong capacity in oxygen delivery, significant gaps in pulse oximetry and healthcare worker experience limit their full readiness to manage hypoxemia. This highlighted critical needs to strengthen capacity through increased equipment availability and healthcare worker experience, in order to deliver excellent hypoxemia management to all patients in need.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessment of Public Hospitals’ Readiness to Manage Hypoxemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rwanda, 2022","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-13 14:47:08","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7760712/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-08T15:14:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"176262158807608859762194909477547357789","date":"2026-03-23T08:06:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-11T00:52:52+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"119986347752372424886208610923636194323","date":"2025-11-09T01:33:20+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-17T13:57:52+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-10-17T13:57:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-13T04:18:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-10-10T11:34:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Health Services Research","date":"2025-10-10T11:31:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bhsr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Health Services Research](http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/BHSR/default.aspx","title":"BMC Health Services Research","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"288142a7-d042-4b9a-9e4f-9ebf4b6db335","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-17T14:08:32+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-13 14:47:08","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7760712","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7760712","identity":"rs-7760712","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}