Abstract
BackgroundWomen with fistula live in a state of distress and in fear of their future life. An obstetric fistula has a devastating impact on affected women and their families. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence from published articles on the consequences of obstetric fistula on women who endure the condition.MethodsThe consequences were systematically reviewed from purely qualitative and mixed method primary studies. The literatures were searched through the search engines Google, Google scholar, Hinari using Pub Med data bases, and citation tracking. Relevant source of publications were searched for primary qualitative studies by formulating search protocol using related search terms. Time (articles published between January first of 2007 and 30th September 2016), participants (women who experienced obstetric fistula due to obstructed labor complications), types of study (purely qualitative and mixed method primary articles), findings (reporting consequences/impacts of obstetric fistula) were used as inclusion criteria. The quality appraisal tool for qualitative studies and the critical appraisal skills program were used to appraise the quality of the studies. The findings of sixteen studies were included in the review. The data were collected and then a thematic framework approach was applied for analysis.ResultsThe thematic categories shared across most studies were related to the physical challenges of losing body control, women’s social and family relationships, and the challenges of losing income. Obstetric fistula has far reaching consequences on women’s physical well being, social and marital relationships, mental health and economic capacity. Fistula also challenged women coping abilities.ConclusionThe consequences of obstetric fistula are far more than the visible medical condition. Little evidence is available on mental health, child and fertility issues, and coping mechanisms. Therefore, further researches shall be aimed at addressing the understudied area and suitable interventions shall be offered to improve women’s overall quality of life.
Highlights
IntroductionAn obstetric fistula has a devastating impact on affected women and their families
Women with fistula live in a state of distress and in fear of their future life
The remaining 37 studies were retrieved and read in full, of which 21 reports were excluded since they did not fulfill the eligibility criteria.19 articles were quantitative studies and two articles were qualitative but reported other than what was intended, i.e. one reported experiences of women with another birth injury, near miss uterine rupture; and the other reported the impact of surgical treatment on the mental health of fistula victims
Summary
An obstetric fistula has a devastating impact on affected women and their families. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence from published articles on the consequences of obstetric fistula on women who endure the condition. Obstetric fistula is a preventable maternal morbidity that results from prolonged and obstructed labor [1]. It commonly occurs when there is Cephalo pelvic disproportion. The consequence of obstetric fistula is devastating for those affected women and their families [14, 15]. The social consequences are severe, and affected women are often ostracized from their community, divorced, abandoned, and remain childless [16, 17]. The women are unable to participate in religious activities and social gatherings, and are considered unhygienic [18, 19]
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