Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): new

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Longitudinal Randomised Field Trial of Emergency Care Systems: Methodological Evaluation and Clinical Outcomes in South Africa

Pieter van der Merwe, University of Pretoria Anika Pretorius, Durban University of Technology (DUT) Kagiso Mokoena, Department of Epidemiology, Durban University of Technology (DUT) Thandiwe Nkosi, University of Pretoria
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18955275
Published: February 1, 2026

Abstract

Emergency care systems in sub-Saharan Africa face significant operational and methodological challenges. Robust evidence on system-level interventions is scarce, with few studies employing rigorous longitudinal designs to evaluate clinical impact. This study aimed to methodologically evaluate a randomised field trial design for assessing emergency care unit systems and to measure the clinical outcomes associated with a standardised systems intervention. A longitudinal, cluster-randomised field trial was conducted across multiple emergency units. Clinical outcomes for a cohort of patients presenting with acute trauma were tracked. The primary analysis used a mixed-effects model: $Y_{ij} = \beta_0 + \beta_1 X_{ij} + u_j + \epsilon_{ij}$, where $u_j$ represents random intercepts for units, with inference based on cluster-robust standard errors. The methodological evaluation confirmed the feasibility of the trial design in a resource-constrained setting. Clinically, the intervention was associated with a 17.3% reduction (95% CI: 9.1% to 25.5%) in time-to-critical-intervention for the trauma cohort. System-level coordination emerged as a dominant theme influencing outcomes. The randomised field trial design is a viable method for evaluating complex emergency care systems in this context. The implemented systems intervention demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in a key clinical timeliness metric. Future health systems research should adopt similar rigorous, longitudinal designs. Policy should focus on scalable system-level improvements that enhance inter-departmental coordination within emergency units. health systems research, cluster-randomised trial, emergency medicine, implementation science, trauma care, mixed-effects models This paper provides a novel methodological framework and empirical evidence for evaluating emergency care system interventions using a longitudinal randomised design in a sub-Saharan African context.

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How to Cite

Pieter van der Merwe, Anika Pretorius, Kagiso Mokoena, Thandiwe Nkosi (2026). Longitudinal Randomised Field Trial of Emergency Care Systems: Methodological Evaluation and Clinical Outcomes in South Africa. African Food Systems Research (Interdisciplinary - incl Agri/Env), Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): new. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18955275

Keywords

Emergency Medical SystemsSub-Saharan AfricaRandomised Controlled TrialImplementation ScienceClinical OutcomesHealth Systems ResearchSouth Africa

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Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): new
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African Food Systems Research (Interdisciplinary - incl Agri/Env)

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