Background. Mismanagement of healthcare waste (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic can facilitate the transmission of coronavirus. Regarding this problem, there is gap of evidence in Ethiopia, and this study aimed to assess the HCW generation rate and management in Tepi General Hospital, southwest Ethiopia. Methods. Institution-based cross-sectional and case studies were conducted. The total amount of waste generated and its type among various case teams were compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (r) was used to assess the correlation between the total numbers of patients and the total amount of HCW generated. Qualitative data were transcribed verbatim, translated to English, and analyzed with Open Code version 4.02 software, and content analysis was followed. Results. The total mean weight (±SD) of waste generation rate in all service units of the hospital was 492.5 ± 11.5 kg/day. The higher proportion (61.9%) of the total HCW produced was general waste and the remaining (38.1%) was hazardous waste. There was a statistically significant (X2 = 82.1, p < 0.001 ) difference in daily HCW generation rate among different case teams. Similarly, the hospital waste generation amount and total patient flow had a strong positive linear relationship (r = 0.7, p = 0.032 ). COVID-19-related medical wastes were not properly handled, segregated, stored, and disposed. There was a scarcity of resources needed to manage HCW, and available resources were utilized poorly. Overall, healthcare wastes were managed as usual (pre-COVID-19). Conclusion. The mean HCW generation rate in Tepi General Hospital was high. Overall, wastes were mismanaged, and COVID-19-related HCWs have been managed as usual. Availing of important resources and training the concerned bodies should be considered during the crisis of COVID-19.
Background. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) remain an important public health issue worldwide. Psychoactive substance use is one of the main contributors to the occurrence of traffic accidents, and its use by truck drivers is a global problem. Also, psychoactive substance use is a commonly observed behavior among truck drivers. To the best of our knowledge, no evidence shows the prevalence and factors associated with psychoactive substance use among truck drivers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with psychoactive substance use among truck drivers in Ethiopia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 systematically selected truck drivers at Modjo dry port in Ethiopia, from February 1 to March 1, 2018. The data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews using a structured questionnaire. The collected data were entered into EpiData version 4.2.0.0 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression analysis was computed to determine the association using crude and adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals. The level of significance was declared at p value < 0.05 in the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. Results. Of the 400 truck drivers interviewed, the overall one-month self-reported prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 70% ( n = 280 ). In the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, aged 38 years and above ( AOR = 0.40 , 95% CI [0.23-0.69]), Christianity religion ( AOR = 0.52 , 95% CI [0.28-0.97]), college and university education ( AOR = 3.47 , 95% CI [1.27-9.47]), having a family size of 3 or more ( AOR = 0.34 , 95% CI [0.20-0.60]), having 6 or more hours spent sleeping at night ( AOR = 0.46 , 95% CI [0.28-0.75]), and rest breaks between driving ( AOR = 2.13 , 95% CI [1.14-3.97]) were significantly associated with psychoactive substance use. Conclusion. The one-month prevalence of psychoactive substance use among truck drivers was remarkably high. We can conclude that psychoactive substance use is a public health problem among truck drivers, which is a major threat to themselves and others on the road. The sociodemographic and occupational factors are the factors associated with drivers’ psychoactive substance use. Therefore, devising health education and counseling program for drivers to tackle the problem plays paramount importance.
Difficult situations bring not only challenges but also fruitful opportunities. The pandemic of COVID-19 by itself and the related governmental or individual level measures have their own challenges and opportunities to the community, which even might be directly or indirectly related to the control and prevention of the pandemic. The silver linings of the pandemic of COVID-19 should be uncovered to encourage the community not only to focus on the black side of the disease but also to enjoy the opportunities. This can contribute to facilitate the control of the disease and avoid the related panics. In this review, we have discussed the challenges of COVID-19 in Ethiopia in terms of health, economy, and social life, and the silver linings in terms of research opportunities, technological transformation, reading culture, and family discussion. The literatures used in this review were published and unpublished articles, reports, and working papers from Google Scholar, PubMed, MedRxiv, BioRxiv, and official websites of national and international organizations.
Background A timely understanding of the frontline community health care workers’ prevention practices towards COVID-19 is very crucial to combat the pandemic. Despite this, no study has been conducted among frontline community health workers in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. The study aimed to determine the status of implementation of preventive measures of frontline community health care workers towards COVID-19 and its associated factors. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 421 health extension workers among selected districts. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire adapted from different pieces of literature. Respondents who scored above mean score on the item measurement such as knowledge, attitude, and practice questions were categorized as knowledgeable, having positive attitude, and having good prevention practices, respectively. Data were entered in EpiData 3.1 and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 software. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify significant predictors. P– values less than or equal to 0.05 were declared as statistically significant. Results The mean age of study participants was 31.35 years (±4.83 SD), and almost half (217; 51.54%) of respondents were single and 273 (62.47%) were trained for COVID-19 prevention measures. Of the total study subjects, 194 (46.08%; 95% CI=41.6–50.7%) had good prevention practices towards COVID-19. Being married (AOR=3.36, 95% CI=2.20–5.13), being trained (AOR=2.28, 95% CI=1.39–3.74), having good knowledge (AOR=2.4, 95% CI=1.52–3.99), and having positive attitude towards COVID-19 prevention measures (AOR=5.88, 95% CI=3.52–9.80) increase the likelihood of implementing prevention measures. Conclusion This study showed that prevention status was low; therefore, government and non-governmental organizations working around the study area should emphasize providing training to increase their level of knowledge and to change the attitude towards implementation of prevention measures, and these can ultimately increase the status of prevention practices.
Background: Blood transfusion is a crucial element of health care. It contributes to saving millions of lives both in routine and emergencies each year. However, millions of patients do not have timely access to this vital resource in Low-income Countries (LICs), including Ethiopia. Eventhough some shreds of evidence are available at the national level, specific studies regarding blood donation practice among college students are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and factors associated with blood donation practice among college students in southwest Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 429 Mizan-Aman health science college students from June 01 to 15, 2019. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The data were entered and cleaned using EPI-Data version 4.2.0.0, then analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Results: Of the 394 participants, the practice of blood donation was 35.5% (140), 95% CI (30.8%-40.2%). Of the 140 participants, 72 (51.4%) and 120 (85.7%) of the respondents were one-time donors and voluntary blood donors, respectively. The factors associated with the practice blood donation were aged ≥ 23 years, former urban residence, having a mother with primary school completed, having good knowledge, and a positive attitude toward blood donation. Conclusion: The practice of blood donation was not adequate among study populations. Therefore, the consideration of encouragement campaigns and educational sessions within the campus will play paramount importance in the increment of blood donation practice.
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