Parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive care unit services and associated factors in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In the context of healthcare, satisfaction is the attainment of adequate or acceptable treatment and serves as both a benchmark for quality and the ultimate objective of providing care. In neonatal care facilities, parent satisfaction is a key measure of the quality of the services offered to the newborns and aids in improving healthcare delivery. This is the first systematic review aiming to address critical knowledge gaps regarding factors influencing parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive care unit services, and determine pooled prevalence in Ethiopia. METHODS: After comprehensive systematic search for full texts in the English language through an electronic web-based search strategy from databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, African Journals Online, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, included a total of 8 articles. Checklists from the Joanna Briggs Institute were used to assess the studies' quality of methodology. STATA version 14 software for windows was used for all statistical analyses and meta-analysis was done using a random-effects method. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to clarify the source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Pooled national level of parents' satisfaction with neonatal intensive unit service was 57.87% (95% CI (49.99, 65.75%)). Age of respondents and availability of chair were significantly associated with parents' satisfaction with neonatal intensive unit service. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION: In our review we found that nearly half of parents expressed dissatisfaction with neonatal intensive unit service, which is high. Age of respondents and availability of chair in neonatal intensive unit waiting area were significantly associated with neonatal intensive unit service. Efforts to enhance parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive unit services are crucial, given that nearly half of parents reported dissatisfaction. Necessary infrastructure should be fulfilled to increase parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive unit service. (PROSPERO) INTERNATIONAL PROSPECTIVE REGISTER OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS: CRD42023483474.

Regional disparities in antenatal care utilization among pregnant women and its determinants in Ethiopia.

Background: Antenatal care primarily focuses on health care checkups, the provision of advice on healthy behaviors, and the delivery of psychological, social, and emotional support for women with pregnancy. The national target set by the Ethiopian government is to achieve 95% of at least four ANC visits. Nevertheless, 43.11% of women had four or more checkups, according to the 2019 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Despite this achievement, antenatal care visits differ significantly between Ethiopian regions. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to assess regional disparities in pregnant women's utilization of antenatal care and its determinants in Ethiopia. Methods: We have used 2019 intermediate Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data for analysis. The analysis comprised a total of 3,917 weighted women age 15-49 who had a live birth in the 5 years preceding the survey. Poisson regression analysis was done using SAS software version 9.4. To show the strength and direction of the association, an incidence rate ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used. Variables with a p-value <0.05 were declared as significant factors associated with the number of ANC visits. Results: In Ethiopia, the number of ANC visits differs between regions. With a mean of 4.74 (95% CI: 4.49, 4.99), Addis Ababa reported the highest percentage of ANC visits (82.7%), while the Somali Region reported the lowest percentage (11.3%) with a mean of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.88). Maternal age, educational level, religion, household wealth index, place of delivery, and household size show significant associations with the number of antenatal care visits. Conclusions: In Ethiopia, there is the highest regional disparity in the number of ANC visits. The number of ANC visits was influenced by the mother's age, education, religion, household wealth index, place of delivery, and household size. Regarding the ANC visits, there should be initiatives that address the demands of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities to increase ANC utilization. As with many other health outcomes, education and low socio-economic status were associated with low ANC visit but these are tied to the overall social development of a country and are not immediately amenable to public health interventions.

Holistic nursing care practice and associated factors among nurses in public hospitals of Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Holistic nursing care is an approach to patient care that takes into account the physical, social, spiritual, and psychological needs of the patient. Providing holistic care has been found to be an effective way to prevent diseases and death, as well as improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients. However, despite its perceived benefits, many nurses lack experience with holistic care and only focus on patients' physical needs, treating them as biological machines while ignoring their spiritual, mental, and social needs. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the practice of holistic nursing care and its associated factors among nurses. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 sampled Nurses working in public hospitals in Wolaita Zone. Systematic random sampling was applied to select the study participants. A self-administered, pretested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The collected data were entered into Epi Data version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with holistic nursing care practice. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value less than 0.05. The strength of the association was indicated by the AOR and 95% CI. RESULT: The study found that the overall practice of holistic nursing care was 21%. Nurses with a diploma in nursing (AOR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.71), nurses working in a hospital with no continuous in-service learning (AOR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.76), nurses with a poor relationship with patients (AOR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.58), and nurses with poor knowledge of holistic nursing care practice (AOR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.7) were factors associated with a lower likelihood of practicing holistic nursing care. CONCLUSION: This study found that the practice of holistic nursing care among nurses working in public hospitals in the Wolaita Zone was low. Level of education, the unit of work, continuous in-service learning, the nurse-patient relationship, and the knowledge of nurses were factors associated with holistic nursing care. The provision of in-service training and the creation of trusting, positive relationships were suggested to improve the practice of holistic nursing care.

Time to Diabetic Nephropathy and its Predictors Among Diabetic Patients Treated in Wolaita and Dawuro Zone Hospitals, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) develops in nearly half of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and one-third of those with type 1 DM during their lifetime. The incidence of DKD as a cause of end stage renal disease is increasing each year. So this study aimed to assess the time to develop diabetic nephropathy and predictors among diabetic patients treated in Wolaita zone hospitals. Methodology: A ten-year retrospective cohort study had conducted among 614 diabetic patients using systematic random sampling in Wolaita and Dawuro zone hospitals. Bivariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression had used to identify the possible associations between variables. Those variables with a p-value of less than 0.25 in bivariable analysis exported to multivariable Cox regression analysis. Finally, variables with p-value less than 0.05 at multivariable Cox regression were considered significantly significant. The Cox-proportional hazard model assumption had checked using the Schoenfeld residual test. Results: Of the total participants, 93 (15.3%; 95% CI = 12.45-18.14) patients had developed nephropathy in 820,048 people year observation. A mean time to diabetic nephropathy in this study was 189.63 (95% CI, 185.01, 194.25) months. Being illiterate (AHR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.34-3.66), being hypertensive (AHR: 5.76, 95% CI: 3.39-9.59), and being urban dwellers (AHR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.34-3.77) increases the hazard of nephropathy. Conclusion: According to this follow-up study, the overall incidence rate is substantially high over ten year follow-up period. The mean time to develop diabetic nephropathy was sixteen years. Educational status, place of residence, and being hypertensive were the predictors. So stakeholders should work on complication reduction measures and awareness creation of the impact of comorbidities.

Factors Associated with the Outcome of a Pediatric Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit in Resource-Limited Setup: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Critical care is a multidisciplinary and interprofessional specialty devoted to treating patients who already have or are at danger of developing acute, life-threatening organ dysfunction. Due to the higher disease load and mortality from preventable illness, patient outcomes in intensive care units are challenging in settings with inadequate resources. This study aimed to determine factors associated with outcomes of pediatric patients admitted to intensive care units. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Wolaita Sodo and Hawassa University teaching hospitals in southern Ethiopia. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Normality tests using the Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov data were normally distributed. The frequency, percentage, and cross-tabulation of the different variables were then determined. Finally, the magnitude and associated factors were first analyzed using binary logistic regression and then multivariate logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 396 Pediatric ICU patients were included in this study, and 165 (41.7%) deaths were recorded. The odds of patients from urban areas (AOR = 45%, CI 95%: 8%, 67% p-value = 0.025) were less likely to die than those in rural areas. Patients with co morbidities (AOR = 9.4, CI 95%: 4.5, 19.7, p = 0.000) were more likely to die than pediatric patients with no co-morbidities. Patients admitted with Acute respiratory distress syndrome (AOR = 12.86, CI 95%: 4.3, 39.2, p = 0.000) were more likely to die than those with not. Pediatric patients on mechanical ventilation (AOR = 3, CI 95%: 1.7, 5.9, p = 0.000) more likely to die than not mechanically ventilated. Conclusion: Mortality of paediatric ICU patients was high (40.7%) in this study. Co-morbid disease, residency, the use of inotropes, and the length of ICU stay were all statistically significant predictors of death.

Prevalence and associated factors of client satisfaction with family planning service among family planning users in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Considering the importance of client satisfaction in the quality of family planning services, a regular evaluation should be carried out. Several studies have been conducted in Ethiopia, but so far there were no pooled estimates of the prevalence of customer satisfaction with family planning services in the country. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was intended to estimate the pooled prevalence of client satisfaction with Ethiopian family planning services in Ethiopia. The findings of the review can be used to develop strategies and draft policies in the country. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This review included articles published only in Ethiopia. The main databases were Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, Ethiopian University Repository Online, and Cochrane Library. Cross-sectional studies conducted in English and meeting the eligibility criteria were included in the review. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed. Data extraction and analysis were performed using Microsoft Excel and STATA version 14 software, respectively. RESULT: The pooled prevalence of customer satisfaction with family planning services in Ethiopia was 56.78% [(95% CI (49.99, 63.56); I2 = 96.2%, p < 0.001]. Waiting time > 30 min [OR = 0.2, 95% CI (0.1-0.29), I2 = 75.0%, p < 0.001], privacy maintained [OR = 5.46, 95% CI (1.43-20.9), I2 = 95.8%, p < 0.001], education status [OR = 0.47], 95% CI (0.22-0.98), I2 = 87.4%, p < 0.001] was significant in client satisfaction related to family planning services. CONCLUSION: According to this review, client satisfaction with family planning services in Ethiopia was 56.78%. In addition, waiting time, women's educational level, and respect for privacy were identified as factors that both positively and negatively impact women's satisfaction with family planning services. Decisive action, such as educational intervention, continued monitoring and evaluation of family planning services, and arranging training for providers, is required to address identified issues and ensure higher levels of family satisfaction and utilization. This finding is important for shaping strategic policies and improving the quality of family planning services. This finding is important for designing strategic policy and increasing the quality of family planning services.

Determinants of breast self-examination practice among women attending pastoralist health facilities, Southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer remains the most serious public health problem affecting millions of women worldwide. Despite various studies regarding breast self-examination practices conducted among health professionals and students in Ethiopia, limited information was found on women attending health care services in the pastoralist community. This study aimed to identify the determinants of breast self-examination practice (BSE) among women attending pastoralist health facilities in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 421 women who were attending family planning services in pastoralist health facilities in South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia from January to February 2022 using systematic random sampling to select a woman from each health facility in Jinka town. Data were collected using structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics such as proportions, means, and standard deviations were used to describe each relevant variable. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the determinants of BSE practices among women. RESULT: The mean age of the women was 25.43 ± 6.66 years. Fifty-four percent (n = 173) of the women had heard of BSE from health professionals. Eighty-nine (21.1%) women had undergone BSE. Women who resided in the urban areas (AOR = 6.79, CI: 3.40, 13.56), attained at least primary education and above (AOR = 8.96, CI: 4.14, 19.35), heard about BSE (AOR = 4.07, CI: 2.07, 7.98), and had a family history of breast cancer (AOR = 7.46, CI = 3.27, 17.00) were significantly associated with BSE practice. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Our study showed that women's practice of BSE was lower when compared with the local studies. We recommend health care professionals and others working in the area improve ways of increasing awareness about breast cancer, including its risk, and the need for BSE.

Mothers' Care-Seeking Behavior for Common Childhood Illnesses and Its Predictors in Ethiopia: Meta-Analysis.

Background: Healthcare-seeking interventions can potentially reduce child mortality; however, many children die in developing countries without reaching a health facility. The World Health Organization reported that 70% of child deaths are related to delay care-seeking. So, this review is aimed at identifying mothers' care-seeking behavior for common childhood illnesses and predictors in Ethiopia. Methods: Systematic search of studies was done on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, institutional repositories, Academic Search Premier, and manually from reference lists of identified studies in the English language up to August 2021. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality appraisal tool for prevalence study. This meta-analysis used the random-effect method using the STATA™ Version 14 software. Result: Fourteen studies involving 8,031 participants were included in this meta-analysis. After correcting Duval and Tweedie's trim and fill analysis, the overall pooled prevalence of mothers' care-seeking behavior is 60.73% (95% CI: 43.49-77.97), whereas the highest prevalence, 74.80% (95% CI: 62.60, 87.00) and 67.77%(95% CI: 55.66, 79.87), was seen in Amhara region and urban residents, respectively, while the lowest, 36.49% (95% CI: -27.21, 100.18) and 47.80% (95% CI:-15.31, 110.9), was seen in South Nation Nationality Peoples' Regions and among rural residents, respectively. Mothers' educational status (P ≤ 0.001) and mothers' marital status (P ≤ 0.001) were significantly associated with mothers' care-seeking behavior. Conclusion: Even though children are a vulnerable group, mothers' care-seeking behavior for common childhood illnesses is significantly low. Educational status and marital status were determinants of mothers' care-seeking behavior. So, all responsible bodies should work on the improvement of mothers' care-seeking behavior.

Pressure injury prevention practice and associated factors among nurses at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital, South Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The prevention of pressure injury is of great importance in providing quality care to patients, as it has been reported that approximately 95% of all pressure injury are preventable. Nurses working in clinical settings play a key role in identifying patients at risk and administering preventative care. Therefore, this study examines pressure injury prevention practices among nurses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study design. SETTING: Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital, Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: 240 nurses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pressure injury prevention practices among nurses. RESULT: Among nurses, 37.9% had good pressure injury prevention practices. The factors associated with pressure injury prevention practices included having a bachelor's degree or higher (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.18; 95% CI 1.12 to 4.25), having more than 10 years of nursing experience (AOR=3.44; 95% CI 1.41 to 8.37), lacking subject knowledge (AOR=0.49; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.91) and being over the age of 40 (AOR=0.55; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.35). CONCLUSION: The majority of nurses reported having a limited level of pressure injury prevention practice. Since pressure ulcer prevention practice is majorly the role of nurses. Upgrading the educational level of the nurses through continuous professional development opportunities can improve the preventive practice of pressure ulcer injury by increasing the knowledge and skill gained during the vocational training.

HIV/AIDS post-exposure prophylaxis knowledge and uptake among health professionals in Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers in developing countries are at particularly increased risk of infections from blood-borne pathogens because of the high prevalence of such pathogens in their communities as well as the lack of basic personal protective equipment, such as gloves, gowns and goggles. For those exposed healthcare workers, the immediate administration of antiretroviral drugs following exposure to potentially infected blood or other bodily fluids is essential in order to minimize the risk of acquiring HIV infection. This review is aimed at estimating the pooled prevalence of knowledge and uptake of post-exposure prophylaxis among healthcare providers in Africa. METHODS: We accessed PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, African Journals Online (AJOL), Journal Storage (JSTOR) and EMBASE. The search for unpublished studies included Google and institutional repositories were also used. This meta-analysis follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of studies was assessed using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analysis was carried out with a random-effects method using STATA v.14 software. RESULTS: Out of 654 692 studies retrieved, 37 studies from four African regions involving 6482 healthcare providers were included in this meta-analysis. The overall estimated pooled uptake and knowledge of HIV/AIDS post-exposure prophylaxis among healthcare providers in Africa using a random-effects model were 40.09% (95% CI: 30.14-50.04) and 57.67% (95% CI: 44.32-71.01) respectively, whereas the highest uptake and knowledge were 45.48% (95% CI: 24.79-66.17) and 61.37% (95% CI: 46.39-76.36) in the southern and eastern regions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis indicated that the knowledge and uptake of post-exposure prophylaxis, one of the best approaches to tackling HIV/AIDS transmission, are significantly low. Therefore, healthcare organizations should work on strategies to increase knowledge and uptake of post-exposure prophylaxis among healthcare providers. REGISTRATION: Prospero (ID: CRD42021244003).

Bacterial Profile and asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Africa: A systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Different physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy, such as Hydroureter, dilatation of the renal pelvis, glycosuria and aminoaciduria, and low urine production predispose pregnant women for ascending urinary tract infection. Globally, 2% to 15% of the pregnant women have urinary tract infection without specific symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) in pregnant women in Africa. METHODS: Systematic search of published studies done on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, PsychInfo, CINAHL, and google scholar for gray literature. All published observational studies until October 30, 2020 were included. This meta-analysis follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Quality of studies was assessed by modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects method with the double arcsine transformation approach using the STATA™ Version 14 software. Trim and fill analysis was done to correct presence of significant publication bias. The study protocol is prospectively registered on PROSPERO, registration number CRD42020212601. FINDINGS: From 3393 obtained studies, 48 studies from 12 African countries involving 15, 664 pregnant women included in this Meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Africa after correction for publication bias by trim and fill analysis was found to be 11.1% (95% CI: 7.8, 14.4). The most common bacterial isolates involved in the etiology of ABU was Escherichia coli with pooled prevalence 33.4% (95% CI: 27.3 - 39.4). INTERPRETATION: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is substantial among pregnant women in Africa. Therefore, all pregnant women should be tested for the presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria. A screening program must be based not only on the incidence but also on a cost-efficacy evaluation and a microbiological evaluation. FUNDING: There was no funding source for this study.

Treatment seeking delay and associated factors among tuberculosis patients attending health facility in Ethiopia from 2000 to 2020: A systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Treatment seeking delay is defined as the time interval between the onset of the major symptoms of tuberculosis (TB) and the first visit to the formal health care facility. The patient was said to be delayed if the patient visited the health-facility after 3 weeks onset of major symptoms. However, in low-income countries like Ethiopia, the delay in treatment-seeking among tuberculosis patients contributes to a widespread transmission and high prevalence of tuberculosis. METHODS: Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Cochrane Database, Cinahl, Scopus, Mednar, and Google Scholar by employing a combination of search terms with Boolean operators. Heterogeneity across studies was assessed using the Cochrane Q test. A funnel plot was used for visual assessment of publication bias. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore the possible causes of heterogeneity. Egger's weighted regression test at a p-value < 0.05 was used to assess the presence of publication bias. Sensitivity analysis was performed to judge whether the pooled effect size was influenced by individual study. STATA software version 14 was used for all statistical analyses. RESULT: A total of 12 studies with 5122 total sample size were included. The national pooled prevalence of treatment seeking delay was 44.29% (95% CI: 39.805, 48.771). The visual inspection of the funnel plot showed the asymmetrical distribution, and the Egger test showed insignificant (P = 0.348). Patients who did not seek formal health care providers on a first contact had about 7 times more likely to delay than patients who sought formal health care provider on a first contact (OR: 7.192 ((95% CI 5.587-9.257), P = 0.001, I2: 85%). The others independent predictors of delay were rural residence (OR: 3.459 ((95% CI 1.469-8.148), P ≤ 0.001), extra pulmonary TB (OR: 2.520 ((95% CI 1.761-3.605), 0.180), lower educational level (OR 11.720 ((95% CI 1.006-2.938), P <0.001), and distance more than 10km from health facility (OR: 1.631 ((95% CI (10.858-3.101), P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this review, we identified a substantial treatment seeking delay among TB patients in Ethiopia. And, the independent predictors of delay were treatment sought before formal health care provider, residence of the patient, type of TB, educational level, and distance from a health facility. Thus, we recommend health extension workers, health professionals and other stakeholders to focus on patient education, and to continuously mobilize the whole communities on early treatment seeking with a special emphasis given to where treatment sought before formal health care provider, rural resident, extra pulmonary TB, and a patient living farther than 10km distance from health facility.

Global Burden of Anxiety and Depression among Cystic Fibrosis Patient: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

AIMS: This systemic review and meta-analysis were aimed at determining the level of anxiety and depression among cystic fibrosis patients in the world. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of published studies from PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and manually on Google Scholar. This meta-analysis follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of studies was assessed by the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects method using the STATA™ Version 14 software. Trim and fill analysis was done to correct the presence of significant publication bias. RESULT: From 419,820 obtained studies, 26 studies from 2 different parts of the world including 9766. The overall global pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression after correction for publication bias by trim and fill analysis was found to be 24.91(95% CI: 20.8-28.9) for anxiety. The subgroup analyses revealed with the lowest prevalence, 23.59%, (95% CI: 8.08, 39.09)) in North America and the highest, 26.77%, (95% CI: 22.5, 31.04) seen in Europe for anxiety and with the highest prevalence, 18.67%, (95% CI: 9.82, 27.5) in North America and the lowest, 13.27%, (95% CI: -10.05, 16.5) seen in Europe for depression. CONCLUSION: The global prevalence of anxiety and depression among cystic fibrosis patients is common. Therefore, close monitoring of the patient, regularly screening for anxiety and depression, and appropriate prevention techniques is recommended.

Mothers' utilization and associated factors of preconception care in Africa, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: As the studies show, in every minute in the world, 380 women become pregnant and 190 face unplanned or unwanted pregnancies; 110 experience pregnancy-related complications, and one woman dies from a pregnancy-related cause. Preconception care is one of the proven strategies for the reduction in mortality and decreases the risk of adverse health effects for the woman, fetus, and neonate by optimizing maternal health services and improves woman's health. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of utilization of preconception of care and associated factors in Africa. METHODS: Systematic search of published studies done on PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science CINAHL, and manually on Google Scholar. This meta-analysis follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of studies was assessed by the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects method using the STATA™ Version 14 software. RESULT: From 249,301 obtained studies, 28 studies from 3 African regions involving 13067 women included in this Meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of utilization of preconception care among pregnant women in Africa was found to be 18.72% (95% CI: 14.44, 23.00). Knowledge of preconception care (P = <0.001), preexisting medical condition (P = 0.045), and pregnancy intention (P = 0.016) were significantly associated with the utilization of preconception care. CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis indicated, as one of best approaches to improve birth outcomes, the utilization of preconception care is significantly low among mothers in Africa. Therefore, health care organizations should work on strategies to improve preconception care utilization.

Determinants of Dyslipidemia in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Dyslipidemia is a common public health problem in Africa. It has emerged as an important cardiovascular risk factor. It has been steadily increasing due to economic growth, urbanization, and unhealthy dietary pattern. Therefore, it is essential to identify determinants of dyslipidemia to prevent the condition and reduce its long-term sequel. Methods: Combinations of search terms with Boolean operators were used to retrieve studies from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, Cinahl, Scopus, Mednar, and Google Scholar. The methodological quality of each article was evaluated based on the 2017 Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal checklist for prevalence studies. After evaluation of each study against these criteria, studies with a minimum score of 7 or above out of 9 JBI checklists were included. We included articles presented in the English language. The Cochrane Q test was used to assess the heterogeneity across studies. The visual assessment of publication bias was done by creating a funnel plot. The possible causes of heterogeneity were explored by subgroup analyses. Egger's weighted regression test was used to assess the presence of publication bias. Statistical analyses were done by using the STATA software version 14. Result: A total of 24 articles involving 37,902 participants from 10 African countries were included. The overall pooled prevalence of dyslipidemia was 52.8 (95% CI 40.8-64.9). Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) >25.0 kg/m2 and waist circumference (WC) >94 cm were, respectively, 2.36 (95% CI (1.33-4.18), p < 0.001) and 2.33 (95% CI (0.75-0.29) p < 0.001) times more likely to develop dyslipidemia than those with lower values. Furthermore, patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) were 2.32 (95% CI (0.89-6.05) p < 0.001) and 2.05 (95% CI (1.31-3.21), p < 0.001) times more likely to present with dyslipidemia than non-diabetic patients and those without HTN. Conclusion: This study revealed that the prevalence of dyslipidemia is relatively high among study participants in African countries and the independent predictors of dyslipidemia were BMI >25.0 kg/m2, WC > 94 cm, raised blood glucose level, and raised blood pressure. Therefore, there should be a pressing public health measure to prevent, identify, and treat dyslipidemia with the special emphasis on obese, diabetic, and hypertensive patients.

Full-dose hepatitis B virus vaccination coverage and associated factors among health care workers in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The hepatitis B vaccine is the backbone of hepatitis B prevention. All health care workers must receive a full-dose (3-dose vaccine series) to achieve >90% protection against hepatitis B virus. There is limited evidence available on vaccination coverage of HBV among health care workers in Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the national full-dose hepatitis B vaccination coverage and the associated factors among health care workers in Ethiopia. METHODS: Studies were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and Google Scholar by using a combination of search terms with Boolean operators. The quality of each study was evaluated independently by three authors using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cross-sectional studies. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA™ Version 14 software. Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects (DerSimonian and Laird) method. The heterogeneity test was conducted by using I-squared (I2) statistics. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 15 articles with 5734 participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of full-dose hepatitis B virus vaccination coverage among health care workers in Ethiopia was 20.04% (95% CI: 13.83, 26.26); I2 = 98.9%). Being male sex (p = 0.002), having work experience of less than 5 years (p < 0.001), educational level of diploma and below (p = 0.003), health care providers who received training on infection prevention (p < 0.001), and those who had a history of exposure to blood and body fluids (p = 0.001), were factors significantly associated with full-dose hepatitis B virus vaccination. CONCLUSION: The national full-dose hepatitis B vaccination coverage among health care workers was low. Training of health care workers in infection prevention, particularly in hepatitis B and testing and providing hepatitis B vaccination for newly recruited staff and every 5 years for those long-term workers were recommended to increase the uptake of the vaccine.

Predictors of optimal breastfeeding practices in Worabe town, Silte zone, South Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Studies in sub-Saharan Africa indicated the overall prevalence of optimal breast feeding ranged between a lowest of 17.63% in East Africa and a highest of 46.37% in West Africa. It's estimated that 823,000 deaths of children could be prevented every year through optimal breastfeeding practices. However optimal breastfeeding practices is low in most setting of Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess optimal breastfeeding practices and associated factors in Worabe town. METHOD: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from April 15th-25th, 2018. A systematic sampling technique was applied on 347 sampled mothers who had children greater than or equal to 2 years old. The data was entered into EpiData (version 3.1) and subsequently exported to SPSS Statistics (version 22) for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used for presenting summary data using tables and graph. Bivariate and multi variable logistic regression analysis to identify were used to identify associated factors. The statistical significance was declared at P<0.05. RESULT: Optimal breastfeeding was exhibited by 42.1% of mothers. Government employees (AOR = 8.0; 95% CI: 1.7, 36.4), families with a household income of 1,500-3,000 Ethiopian birr (AOR = 4.6; 95% CI: 1.0, 20.1), individuals knowledgeable about optimal breastfeeding practices (AOR: 5.5 95% CI: 1.6, 18.1), individuals counselled about breastfeeding practices during postnatal follow-ups (AOR = 4.940, 95% CI: 1.313, 10.195), and individuals that had a caesarean section delivery (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.2, 14.1) had a higher chance of practicing optimal breastfeeding. However, mothers who did not attend or have access to antenatal care follow-ups (AOR = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.5) were less likely to practice optimal breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: Less than half of mothers breastfed their children optimally. Factors that influenced this included knowledge of optimal breastfeeding practices, total household income, the woman's occupation, access to breastfeeding counselling during postnatal care follow-ups, access to antenatal care follow-ups, and mode of delivery. It is strongly recommended that optimal breastfeeding awareness programs through health education be done in collaboration with health extension workers, and zonal health offices.

Male involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness for emergency referral at Sodo town of Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Preventable maternal mortality remains a huge burden more especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The involvement of male partner during pregnancy and its complication helps an expectant mother to make timely decisions to avoid delays that brings about complications that could result in morbidity or mortality. METHODS: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted in 2017, at Sodo Town of Wolaita Zone among mothers who came to hospital and admitted to MCH department due to emergency obstetric referral. Data were collected using pre-tested and structured questionnaire. The collected data entered by Epi data, cleaned and analyzed by using SPSS for windows version 23.0. A descriptive analysis was done using frequency, mean, quartile and standard deviation. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was carried out to identify the associated factors. Level of statistical significance was declared at p value < 0.05. Finally the results of Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were presented in crude and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals. RESULT: Data were obtained from 233 women, with a response rate of 100%. The prevalence of male partner's involvement in birth preparedness and complication redness for emergency referral in this study was 30.9%. After adjusting for the effect of confounding variables using multivariable logistic regression, variables like distance of health facility (AOR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.12, 0.72), having ANC follow-up (AOR = 2.9, 95%CI = 1.52-5.51) and experience of obstetric complication (AOR = 1.79, 95%CI = 1.06-3.04) have statistically significant association with male partner's involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness for obstetric referral. CONCLUSION: In general, male partner's involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness for obstetric referral in the study area was low. Antenatal care attending and experiencing of obstetric complication were factors determining male partner's involvement in complication readiness. Health care professionals should involve male partners to attend ANC clinic at each stage and arrange special antenatal care conferences which may increase awareness and practice about complication readiness and plan.

Magnitude of surgical site infection and its associated factors among patients who underwent a surgical procedure at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital, South Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections are infections that take place within 30 days of an operative procedure. Worldwide, 23% of patients develop surgical site infections among all surgeries annually with the worst complications causing prolonged hospital stays, increased resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials, higher health system costs, emotional stress for patients and their families, and substantial economic burdens on hospitals. Therefore, this study was created to assess the magnitude and associated factors of surgical site infection at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital. METHOD: We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study on patients who underwent a surgical procedure in 2018 at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital. We applied a systematic random sampling technique to obtain 261 patient records from all records of surgical patients from January 1, 2018, to December 30, 2018. We collected data using a pretested checklist. We used bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with surgical site infection. We considered a P-value < 0.05 as statistically significant. Summary measures, texts, tables, and figures present the results of the analysis. RESULT: Among the 261 patients, 34 or 13% (95% CI = 9.2%, 17.2%) developed surgical site infection. Patients younger than 40 years old [AOR 6.45; 95% CI (1.56, 26.67)], illiterate [AOR 4.25; 95% CI (1.52, 11.84)], with a history of previous hospitalization [AOR 4.50; 95% CI (1.44, 14.08)], with a prolonged preoperative hospital stay (≥ 7 days) [AOR 3.88; 95% CI (1.46, 10.29)], and admitted to the public wing of the ward [AOR 0.24; 95% CI (0.07, 0.79)] possessed factors associated with surgical site infection. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of surgical site infection in this study was high. Shortening preoperative hospital stays, delivering intravenous antimicrobial prophylaxis before surgery, and giving wound care as ordered would significantly reduce the incidence of surgical site infection.

Profiles of hematological parameters in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria patients attending Tercha General Hospital, Dawuro Zone, South Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major health problem in the tropics, with 300-500 million cases and 1.1-2.7 million deaths occurring annually. The hematological alterations associated with malaria infection may vary depending on: level of malaria endemicity, background hemoglobinopathy, malaria immunity, host genetic factors, and parasite strain variations. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the profiles of hematologic parameters in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria infections at Tercha General Hospital, Dawuro Zone, South Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY: A total of 340 study participants were included in the study, out of which 170 were malaria cases, and the remaining 170 were malaria negatives. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Malaria diagnosis was based on thick and thin blood films microscopy. Hematological parameters were determined by using an automated, CELL-DYN 1800 hematology analyzer. Malaria parasite density was determined by counting the asexual parasites against 200 WBCs, and then calculated by using the standard formula. The diagnostic accuracy of hematological parameters was measured by computing sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. RESULTS: The mean values of Hgb, Hct, platelet, WBC, RBC, and lymphocyte were significantly lower in malaria patients than malaria negatives. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia and anemia in malaria patients was 84% and 67%, respectively. There was an inverse correlation between P. falciparum and P. vivax parasite density and lymphocyte count, as well as platelet count. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Thrombocytopenia and anemia were the two common hematological abnormalities observed in malaria cases. The platelet count during malaria infection was inversely correlated with the asexual stage parasite density. Patients with acute febrile illness having thrombocytopenia should alert the treating physician about the possibility of malaria infection. Malaria patients should be checked for the presence of hematological abnormalities such as anemia and have to be managed for those abnormalities.