Novel method for determining when a field-collected donor unit is sufficiently full.

BACKGROUND: Whole blood (WB) collections can occur downrange for immediate administration. An important aspect of these collections is determining when the unit is sufficiently full. This project tested a novel method for determining when a field collection is complete. METHODS: The amount of empty space at the top of WB units, destined to become LTOWB or separated into components, that were collected at blood centers or hospitals was measured by holding a WB unit off the ground and placing the top of a piece of string where the donor tubing entered the bag. The string was marked where it intersected the top of the column of blood in the bag and measured from the top. The WB units were also weighed. RESULTS: A total of 15 different bags, two of which were measured in two different filling volumes, from 15 hospitals or blood centers were measured and weighed. The most commonly used blood bag, Terumo Imuflex SP, had a median string length of 9 mm (range: 2-24 mm) and weighed a median of 565.1 g (range: 524.8-636.7 g). CONCLUSION: Pieces of string can be precut to the appropriate length depending on the type of bag before a mission where field WB collections might be required and a mark placed on the bag before the collection commences to indicate when the unit is full.

Anxiety and associated factors among Ethiopian health professionals at early stage of COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: In late 2019, a new coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease 2019) was identified. As there is no any drug to treat this pandemic, the healthcare professionals are disproportionately at higher risk. The mental health outcome is expected to be high. Anxiety is expected to have a significant impact on health professionals, especially among those who work without adequate resources for self-protection. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research was to assess self-reported anxiety symptoms and associated factors among Ethiopian healthcare professionals in the early stages of the pandemic. METHODS: We have conducted an online cross-sectional study to collect information from healthcare professionals in Ethiopia during the early stage of the outbreak from April 7, 2020 to May 19, 2020. GAD-7 was used for measurement of anxiety. We have used a cut of point of 10 and above to report anxiety symptoms. We have used Google Forms for online data collection and SPSS-22 for analysis. To determine associated factors for anxiety, a binary logistic regression model was used. Variables with p-value < 0.2 during the bivariable binary logistic regression were exported for further analysis in the multivariable binary logistic regression. Finally, variables with p-value <0.05 were considered as significantly associated with the outcomes. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighty-eight healthcare professionals filled the online questionnaire; Majority (71.1%) were males. Significant number of respondents (78.9%) reported lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) at the work place. The prevalence of anxiety was 26.8%. Being female (AOR: 1.88; 95% C.I:1.11, 3.19), visiting/treating 30-150 patients per day (AOR: 3.44; 95% C.I:1.51, 7.84), those employed at private healthcare institutions (AOR: 2.40; 95% C.I:1.17, 4.90), who do not believe that COVID-19 is preventable (AOR: 2.04; 95% C.I:1.04, 4.03) and those who reported lack of PPE (AOR: 1.98; 95% C.I:1.04, 3.79) were more likely to be anxious. CONCLUSIONS: The anxiety prevalence among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia during early stage of COVID-19 pandemic was high. This study shows that lack of preventive equipment, being female, contact with many patients, low self-efficacy and working in private health facilities were risk factors for anxiety. Anxiety prevention among health professionals during COVID-19 pandemic requires a holistic approach including provision of sufficient PPE, improving self-efficacy and addressing problems both at public and private institutions and focusing more on female health professionals.

Sero-prevalence of transfusion transmittable infections: HIV, Hepatitis B, C and Treponema pallidum and associated factors among blood donors in Ethiopia: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is a therapeutic procedure that has proven to be effective in saving millions of lives. However, its safety is still a crucial issue that needs due attention. Unsafe blood transfusion is one of the sources of transmission for infectious agents. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the sero-prevalence of Transfusion Transmittable Infections (TTIs) such as Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Treponema pallidum, and associated factors among blood donors in Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used to measure the prevalence of transfusion transmittable infections using data collected from 2014 to 2019 in fourteen blood bank facilities in Ethiopia. Screening of HIV, HBV and HCV was done by using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Presence of Treponema pallidum infection was assessed using rapid plasma reagin (RPR). Records of blood donors were collected using a checklist from Central Blood Bank Laboratory (BBL) electronic database and reviewed. Data was entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Logistic regression was fitted to identify factors associated with cumulative TTIs positivity, and for each of the transfusion transmittable infection. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: A total of 554,954 blood donors in the fourteen blood bank facilities from 2014-2019 was included in the study. The overall sero-prevalence of HBV, Treponema pallidum, HIV and HCV, was 2.4%, 0.9%, 0.4% and 0.4% respectively. The prevalence of TTIs was comparatively higher in 2014, 5.70% and lowest in 2019, 3.40%. The odds of screening HBV in blood donors in age group of 35-39 and 40-44 were 1.2 [1.1, 1.3] and 1.3 [1.1, 1.5] respectively. The odds of screening HCV in blood donors in the age group of 25-34, 35-44 and 45-54 were 1.3 [1.1, 1.5], 1.3 [1.1, 1.7] and 1.7 [1.2, 2.2] respectively. The likelihood of having at least one infection among blood donors was 1.2 [1.1, 1.3] times in male blood donors compared to female. The odds of getting at least one TTI and Treponema pallidum in unemployed blood donors were 2.4 [2.0, 2.8] and 8.1 [6.1, 10.7] respectively. The probability of getting those who have at least one TTIs, HBV and Treponema pallidum were higher in blood donors those who live in Semi Urban and Rural parts of the country than those who live in Urban areas. The odds of having at least one TTI, HBV and HCV in blood donors with mobile mode of blood donation were 1.4 [1.3, 1.6], 1.6 [1.4, 1.8], and 1.6 [1.1, 2.2]. CONCLUSION: The current magnitudes of TTIs are lower when compared to other previous studies conducted in Ethiopia. Older age, male, occupation, donations from mobile sites, residents of semi urban and rural settings were found to be strongly associated with sero-positivity of TTIs. Hence, strict donor screening and testing particularly taking the above factors into consideration is strongly recommended.