Microbiological Assessment of Health-Care Providers in Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the safeguards that help prevent illnesses and eliminate them when they occur. This study aimed to scan the related literature and provide pooled data about the level of knowledge, attitude toward infections, vaccination status, and infection prevalence among African HCWs to provide better evidence toward specific detailed determination of gaps to strengthen. A total of 11,038 published articles were identified from the search strategy. Among them, 163 articles met our inclusion criteria and passed the quality assessment procedure. Results: The prevalence of HBV was tested for 6,599 African HCWs;6.00% [95% Cl; 3.66, 8.33] were positive. The question Are you fully vaccinated against HBV? was answered by 12,036 HCWs; 43.22% [95% Cl; 31.22, 55.21] answered yes. The most crucial local factor identified among respondents for the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was self-antibiotic prescription 42.00 % [18.79, 65.20]. The question (Does the infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines available in your workplace?) was asked to 1,582 HCWs; 50.95% [95% Cl; 40.22, 61.67] answered yes. Conclusion: This study determined many weaknesses to be addressed for the sake of improving health in Africa. The current pooled data are critically significant to be implemented in planning governmental or NGOs strategies.