Search

Background: Mothers attending prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV clinics seem to lack knowledge on many aspects of PMTCT, among which is breastfeeding. Breastfeeding recommendations in PMTCT have changed several times over the years leaving some confused and doubtful of what is currently recommended. One method shown to help improve their knowledge and acceptance of PMTCT recommendations is the use of peer educators. We sought to determine if mothers engage in discussions with other mothers during clinics and how these engagements influence trust in PMTCT recommendations. Methods: We interviewed 524 mothers with children under two years enrolled in PMTCT clinics in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We selected 5 clinics with the highest numbers of PMTCT enrolment from each district in the region. In each clinic, over a one-month period, we recruited all mothers attending the PMTCT clinic. We collected information on their engagement in discussions regarding PMTCT during clinics and how they perceived the information from their peers in relation to that from healthcare providers. Results: Fifty-five percent of the mothers reported engaging in peer discussions. Of the 90 (17%) mothers who reported noticing a change in PMTCT recommendations, 33 (36.7%) reported trusting previous recommendations more. A greater proportion (52.9%) of mothers who engaged in peer discussions reported trusting the information from peers more than that from healthcare workers. Conclusions: Peers have a great influence on mothers, which is concerning when their knowledge shared is outdated. Harnessing their influence and training them on current recommendations might be key to improving adherence to PMTCT recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preterm birth is a public health problem particularly in low- and middle-income countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It is associated with infant morbidity and mortality. Survivor of preterm suffers long term health consequences such as respiratory, hearing and visual problems as well as delivering preterm infants. Preterm birth also tends to recur in subsequent pregnancies. Little is known about recurrent rate of preterm birth and associated factors in Tanzania. This study aimed to determine the recurrence rate of preterm birth and associated factors among women who delivered at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), in Northern Tanzania. Methods: A historic cohort study was designed using maternally-linked data from KCMC medical birth registry. Women who delivered 2 or more singletons were included. A total of 5,946 deliveries were analysed. Recurrence of preterm birth and associated risk factors were estimated using multivariable log-binomial regression model with robust standard error to account for repeated births from the same mother. Results: Overall recurrent rate of preterm birth was 24.4%. The recurrence of early preterm birth was higher compared to late preterm birth (26.2% vs. 24.2%). Similar pattern of recurrence was observed for spontaneous and medically indicated preterm birth (13.5% vs. 10.9%, respectively). Previous preterm birth (RR;1.85, 95% CI: 1.49, 2.31), preeclampsia (RR;1.46, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.00), long inter-pregnancy interval (RR;1.22, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.49) and clinical subtypes (RR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.86) were important predictors for recurrent preterm birth. Conclusion: Recurrence of preterm birth remains higher in this population. The rate of preterm recurrence was dependent of gestational age and sub-clinical subtype. Other factors which were associated with recurrence of preterm birth were previous preterm birth, preeclampsia and long inter-pregnancy interval. Early identification of high risk women during prenatal period is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the most common respiratory disease in premature babies and the major cause of morbidity and mortality among preterm babies. Effective treatment of these babies requires exogenous surfactant and/or mechanical ventilation but these are of limited availability in low and middle income countries. A cheaper, simpler and more accessible treatment for preterms with RDS called bubble-continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) has been reported to be effective in treating RDS in preterm babies with varying levels of effectiveness ranging from 42% to 85%. We aimed to implement and determine the efficacy of bCPAP and its immediate outcomes as compared to oxygen therapy in preterm babies presenting with respiratory distress at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania. Method: A randomized control trial, conducted from December 2016 to May 2017, included all preterm babies admitted at the neonatal care unit presenting with signs of respiratory distress and meeting the inclusion criteria. The primary outcome was survival while the secondary outcomes were treatment duration, duration of hospital stay and treatment complications. Results: A total of 824 babies were admitted in the neonatal care unit during the study period. Of these, 187 babies were preterm and 48 babies were recruited and randomized (25 bCPAP vs 23 oxygen). The overall survival to discharge for all eligible participants (n = 48) was 58.2% compared to those who adhered to treatment protocol (n = 45, 62.2%). Babies in the bCPAP group had higher survival (17/22; 77.3%) as compared to their counterparts in the oxygen therapy group (11/23; 47.8%). Babies treated with bCPAP had 52% lower risk of death (crude HR 0.48, 95% CI = 0.16–1.43) compared to babies receiving oxygen therapy. The median duration of treatment for babies in the oxygen therapy group was 2 (Range 0–16) days compared to 2 (Range 0–5) days in the bCPAP group. The median duration of hospital stay for babies receiving bCPAP was 14 (range 7–43) days. Nasal bleeding was commonly observed among babies in the bCPAP group as compared to those in the oxygen therapy group. Conclusion: This study revealed that treatment with bCPAP had a 30% clinical improvement in survival to discharge. Our findings highlight the role of bCPAP in reducing neonatal mortality in resource limited settings but further adequately powered studies in this or similar settings are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-pregnancy interval is an important determinant of both maternal and child health. Suboptimal inter-pregnancy interval has been associated with adverse maternal outcomes -including postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders, direct causes of maternal mortality. Both overall maternal mortality and the contribution of postpartum hemorrhage on maternal mortality have increased in Tanzania. If we are to achieve sustainable development goal (SDG) number 3.1 to reduce the global maternal mortality ration to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, it is highly important that such contributors are dealt with. This study aimed to determine the distribution and trends of inter-pregnancy interval and to deduce its association with adverse maternal outcomes among women who delivered at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (2000–2015).A retrospective cohort study was designed using Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre medical birth registry data for women who delivered from 2000 to 2015. Women with at least two births recorded in the registry were included. A total of 7,995 births from 6,612 mothers were analyzed. Anemia during pregnancy, post-partum hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia were adverse maternal outcomes of interest. Data analysis was performed using multivariable logistic regression models allowing for robust standard errors. Crude and adjusted odds ratio with their respective 95% confidence intervals were estimated. More than half (51.7%) of non-first births were born within sub-optimal IPI. The median IPI was 34 months (IQR: 33.5 months). The median IPI increased from 11 months in 2002 to 35 months in 2006 and plateaued until 2014, but it rose to 41.6 months in 2015. Median IPI was shorter in young women <20 years and in birth order seven and above (16 vs. 27 months, respectively). Short IPI was associated with lower risk of pre-eclampsia [aOR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.52, 0.97] while long IPI was associated with lower risk of post-partum hemorrhage [aOR: 0.70, 95%CI: 0.52, 0.94]. This study found an association between long and short IPI with adverse maternal outcomes. Even though these results should be interpreted with caution based on the fact that the data was sampled from a referral hospital and hence there could be overrepresentation of women with maternal complications, our findings still warrant the importance of supporting modern family planning methods as a measure to improve IPI and thereby improve maternal outcomes as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blood is a critical aspect of treatment in life saving situations, increasing demand. Blood requisition practices greatly effect sufficient supply in blood banks. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for inappropriate blood requisition in Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross sectional study using secondary data of 14,460 patients’ blood requests from 42 transfusion hospitals. Primary data were obtained by using cluster-sampling design. Data were analysed using a two-level mixed-effects Poisson regression to determine fixed-effects of individual-level factors and hospital level factors associated with inappropriate blood requests. P-value <0.05 (2-tails) was considered statistically significant. Results: Inappropriate requisition was 28.8%. Factors significantly associated with inappropriate requisition were; reporting pulse rate and capillary refill decrease the risk (RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.64, 0.84) and (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.63, 0.85) respectively and the following increased the risk; having surgery during hospital stay (RR 1.22; 95% CI 1.06, 1.4); being in general surgical ward (RR 3.3; 95% CI 2.7, 4.2), paediatric ward (RR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2, 2.7), obstetric ward (RR 2.5; 95% CI 2.0, 3.1), gynaecological ward (RR 2.1; 95% CI 1.5, 2.9), orthopaedics ward (RR 3.8; 95% CI 2.2, 6.7). Age of the patient, pallor and confirmation of pre-transfusion haemoglobin level were also significantly associated with inappropriate requisition. Majority of appropriate requisitions within the wards were marked in internal medicine (91.7%) and gynaecological wards (77.8%). Conclusions: The proportion of inappropriate blood requests was high. Blood requisition was determined by clinical and laboratory findings and the ward patients were admitted to. Adherence to transfusion guidelines is recommended to assure the best use of limited blood supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]