Kurniawan Taufiq Kadafi, Saptadi Yuliarto, Charity Monica, Takhta Khalasha
The mortality rate of children in Indonesia is still high when compared to that in developed countries. The mortality rate of children in Indonesia remains high due to various factors. Efforts to reduce child mortality should focus on improving family understanding of health risks, enhancing access to quality healthcare services, and addressing social and environmental determinants of child health. The aim of this study was to describe the problems from upstream to downstream of critically ill children in Indonesia, thus Indonesia can work towards lowering the children’s mortality rate of children. The PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were meticulously examined utilizing specific search terminologies. Original articles, meta-analyses and systematic reviews in the English and Indonesian languages describing the problems of critically ill children in Indonesia were selected. Relevant references in some of these articles were included as well. The problem of high mortality of children treated in intensive care units in Indonesia is not only due to limited pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) capacity, limited equipment, and unqualified resources. However, it is necessary to identify various underlying factors including family factors, socio-economic status, community culture, referral systems, knowledge of health workers, and health facilities at both primary and secondary levels. A critical concern is that external factors influencing the hospital environment are infrequently or never evaluated for their effects on the referral system, which is essential for ensuring that critically ill pediatric patients are not presented for care too late. The high mortality rate of critically ill children in Indonesia is influenced by many factors, including parents’ awareness of pediatric emergencies, the sociocultural and family economy, community, the ability of primary care providers to identify emergencies and provide initial care, referral system communication and the availability of beds and facilities in the PICU. ©Copyright 2025 The Author.
Universitas Brawijaya, Faculty of Medicine, Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Malang, Indonesia; Universitas Brawijaya, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Malang, Indonesia
