Gondar University Research Articles

Improving selective football performance skills: In the case of University of Gondar third year sport science football elective students of 2013 E.C.

The aim of study is to improve football skills such as passing, dribbling and shooting of third year football elective students within eight weeks mixed football training program. 12 male and 6 female totally 18 football elective third year sport science students of Gondar University were participated in the study. All participants were selected by comprehensive sampling method. Participants completed a slalom dribble test, a Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT) and a Loughborough Soccer Shooing Test (LSST) prior to eight weeks training as pretest. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Paired Sample T test) were used for data analysis. The mean score (42.17 for dribbling skill, 74.47 for passing skill and 17.94 for shooting skill) from pretest revealed that the performance mean score of dribbling, passing and shooting skills of all participants were low. After eight weeks training implemented, the participant students improved their skills of dribbling, passing and shooting. As findings of this study from posttest after intervention depicted that the performance mean score (31.28 for dribbling skill, 55.72 for passing skill and 32.56 for shooting skill); there were significant difference between pretest and posttest mean score of dribbling , passing and shooting skills. Because of the p value of the three football skills were .00 which less than the p value of 0.05; this shows there were highly significant difference between means of the pretest and posttest of the above three football skills. The intervention was very effective and successful in the improvement of participants dribbling, passing and shooting skills.

Prescription pattern and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in University of Gondar, North West Ethiopia

BackgroundAn inappropriate use of drug during pregnancy may harm the fetus. There is no enough study on drug use among pregnant women at the University of Gondar referral hospital. Most studies are carried out in developed countries but not in developing countries. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate prescription of drug and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service in University of Gondar referral hospital. MethodsInstitution based cross sectional study was used among 334 pregnant women who attended antenatal care units of the University of Gondar referral hospital. Data were collected from the pregnant women medical records and registration logbook and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Multivariate logistic regression used to analyze the association of the independent variables with drug use. P-values <0.05 were considered significant. ResultA total of 334 pregnant women's medical records showed a total of 631 drugs prescribed. The average numbers of drugs per pregnant women was 1.88. All pregnant women (100%) were prescribed with iron folat. Most pregnant women 185 (55.2%) were in the third trimester followed by third trimester 91 (27.25%). Moreover, 23.77%, 42.95%, 33%, and 7% pregnant women encountered with drugs from category A, B, C and D respectively. From the bivariate regression analysis, Age of women, maternal illness, trimester at the first visit, and gravidity were significantly associated with exposure to prescribed drug use during pregnancy. ConclusionThe present study showed the deviation of drug use pattern from the WHO optimal levels proposing the hospitals had inappropriate use of drug. Implementing corrective measures are required to achieve the recommended standards of appropriate drug use.

Serological and Molecular Detection of Toxoplasma Gondii among Pregnant Women Giving Birth at the University Of Gondar Specialized Hospital in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

Objective: Congenital toxoplasmosis can be presented when immunosuppressed women are reactivating of this infection acquired before pregnancy in addition to women recently exposed to this disease during pregnancy, which causes of fetal death, neonatal death or congenital defects. Women mainly get this infection by ingested improperly cooked or raw meat consisting of viable tissue cysts or by contaminated foods and water within sporulated oocysts or through the placenta. Thus, this study aimed to detect Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women using serologically and molecularly at study area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2019 to October 2020 by collecting a total of 200 umbilical cord blood and matching discharged placental tissue samples from systematic randomly selected pregnant women giving birth at University of Gondar specialized hospital. Latex agglutination test and nested polymerase chain reaction were used for the detections of this infection. Findings: The overall serological, first polymerase chain reaction and nested polymerase chain reaction findings of this study were 46%, 24% and 10%, respectively. The univariant analysis indicated that seropositivity of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies were also significantly influenced by eating raw meat, eating raw vegetables, drinking raw milk, presence of domestic cat contacts and source of water (P  0.05). In the case of multivariate analysis drinking raw milk and source of water were also significantly associated to the seropositivity of Toxoplasma gondii. Moreover, there were also fair concordant between latex agglutination within first polymerase reaction (Kappa: 0.290) andnested polymerase chain reaction tests of this parasite (Kappa: 0.231). Novelty: This nested polymerase chain reaction and the Toxo-latex agglutination tests had also fair agreements in pregnant women. Moreover, Consumption of raw meat, vegetables and milk; domestic cat contacts and source of water were the potential statically significant associated risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity. Conclusions: Generally, these comparative tests confirmed the existence of this infection in pregnant women that played up a pool of public health risks for their embryo and infants. Thus, thoroughly cooking raw meats and vegetables; pasteurized raw milk; avoid domestic cat contacts and boiling of water will be the best prevention and control strategies of this infection. Further works on its genotyping of this pathogen will be also convinced. Keywords: Latex agglutination; Nested polymerase chain reaction; Placental tissue; Pregnant women; Toxoplasma gondii; Umbilical cord blood

Translation, reliability, and validity of Amharic versions of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7).

Pelvic Floor Disorders (PFDs) affects many women and have a significant impact on their quality of life. Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7) and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) help to assess PFDs; however, both are not culturally translated into the Amharic-language. Hence, we aimed to translate the English versions of short forms of the PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 into Amharic-language and evaluate their psychometric properties in Amharic-speaking Ethiopian women with symptomatic PFDs. The PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 were translated into Amharic language using standard procedures. The Amharic versions were completed by 197 patients (response rate 92%) with PFDs from University of Gondar specialized and comprehensive Hospital. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined through Cronbach's alpha and Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). A relative criterion standard, POP-SS-7 score, was correlated with total PFDI-20 and subscale POPDI-6 scores using spearman's rank order correlation (SCC). Construct validity was evaluated by known group validity using the Mann-Whitney U test. Both instruments were successfully translated and adapted with an excellent content validity (&gt; 0.90). The Amharic versions of the PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 showed excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability in both summary and subscales (Cronbach's alpha: 0.92 for PFDI-20 and 0.91 for PFIQ-7; and ICC: 0.97 for PFDI-20 and 0.86 for PFIQ-7). Criterion validity was good for POPDI-6 (SCC = 0.71; p &lt; 0.001). Moreover, construct validity was acceptable, showing significant differences among groups of PFDs in the PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores (Mann-Whitney U Test; p &lt; 0.001). The Amharic versions of the PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 are comprehensible, reliable, valid, and feasible in Ethiopian Amharic-speaking women with PFDs to evaluate symptoms and its impact during research and clinical practice. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the responsiveness.

Time to Discharge and its Predictors among Children Aged 1-60 Months with Severe Acute Malnutrition Admitted to the Therapeutic Feeding Center in A Tertiary Hospital, North West Ethiopia.

Standard treatment of severe acute malnutrition with medical complication and/or failed appetite test is admission in therapeutic feeding centers for stabilization. Once stabilized, patients will be linked to Outpatient treatment program for rehabilitation. Information regarding time to discharge from inpatient therapeutic feeding centers is limited in Ethiopia. The main objective of this study was to assess the time to discharge and its predictors among children 1-60 months with Severe Acute Malnutrition admitted to University of Gondar Hospital. Hospital Based retrospective follow up study was conducted in Gondar University Hospital among 282 children aged 1-60 months admitted to inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center from June 2018 to December 2020. Participants were selected by Simple random sampling technique. Time to discharge from inpatient treatment was estimated using Kaplan-Meir procedure and Log Rank test was used to test observed difference between covariates. Identification of predictors for time to discharge was done by Stratified cox regression model. Overall 282 children were studied; 242 (85.8%) were discharged improved and 40 (14.2%) were censored. The median time to Discharge was 13 days (IQR: 9-18) and the Incidence of discharge was found to be 6.4 (95% CI: 5.6-7.2) per 100 person- day observations. Kwash-dermatosis (AHR=2.4, 95% CI: 1.17-4.8), Anemia (AHR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.6), pneumonia at admission (AHR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.01-2.63) and Hospital acquired infection (AHR=4.4, 95% CI: 2.4-8.2) were predictors of time to discharge. Hospital stay at the stabilization center was prolonged. Pneumonia, anemia, kwash dermatosis and Nosocomial infections were significant predictors of time to discharge.

Developing a virtual global dermatology curriculum: Qualitative analysis based on a pilot study in Ethiopia

Developing a virtual global dermatology curriculum: Qualitative analysis based on a pilot study in Ethiopia

Prevalence of mesial temporal sclerosis in patients with epilepsy who underwent magnetic resonance imaging in Gondar university hospital, North-West Ethiopia 2020

Background- Mesial temporal lobe sclerosis is commonly associated with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy and is seen in about 60% to 80% of cases. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of mesial temporal sclerosis on MRI among all epilepsy patients. Methods- Hospital based retrospective cross-sectional study in adult patients referred for MRI of the brain from January 2019 - September 2020 were conducted. The study is carried out at the University of Gondar Referral Hospital with a 1.5T Philips MRI machine, in Gondar town located 741 k.m. northwest of Addis Ababa. Results - A total of 77 patients were included, out of which 61 had generalized tonic clonic epilepsy, 7 had focal impaired awareness seizures, 6 had focal to bilateral tonic clonic and 2 had focal aware. Features of mesial temporal sclerosis were identified in 8 of 77 (10.4 %) of the cases, all of them had generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy &amp; none of our participants with mesial temporal sclerosis had focal impaired awareness seizures. Mesial temporal sclerosis in our study is found to equally involve the right (50 %) and left (50 %) sides and none of our patients have bilateral involvement, and the most common findings are hippocampal atrophy in 6 out of 8 (75 %) of the cases and increased hippocampal signal intensity in 5 of 8 (62.5 %). Conclusion - The prevalence of mesial temporal sclerosis in patients with epilepsy is found to be less than what is documented in most literatures.

Willingness to work in rural areas and associated factors among graduating health students at the University of Gondar, northwest Ethiopia, 2021.

Many of the rural areas in developing countries are still in need access to quality healthcare services. To ensure the fair distribution of a high-quality health workforce and the availability of health services, there is a need to assess the background barriers that explain why healthcare providers are not interested to work in rural areas, thereby setting strategies to achieve universal health coverage. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess the willingness to work in rural areas and associated factors among health students at the University of Gondar. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar from August 15 to 25, 2021. A total of 422 study participants were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the data. Data were entered into EPI DATA 4.6 and exported to SPSS 25 for further analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with students' willingness to work in rural areas. The level of significance was decided based on the 95% confidence interval at a p-value of ≤ 0.05. In this study, it was found that health students' willingness to work in rural areas was 78.4% (95% CI: 74.3, 82.4). Being male (AOR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.94), having intention to continue with their profession (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.28, 4.86), having a favorable attitude towards working in rural areas (AOR = 7.32; 95% CI: 5.71, 18.65), and having a mother with no formal education (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.02, 4.85) and completed primary education (AOR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.1, 6.61) were significantly associated with willingness to work in rural areas. The willingness of students to work in rural areas was optimal. This calls for concerned bodies to create a conducive environment for male and female students to engage in rural areas without hesitation. It is also important to ensure that students are willing to work in the rural areas voluntarily, instead of working in rural areas due to a lack of employment.

Advanced stage presentation and its determinant factors among colorectal cancer patients in Amhara regional state Referral Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia.

Nowadays, the burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been increasing in the world, particularly in developing nations. This could be related to the poor prognosis of the disease due to late presentation at diagnosis and poor treatment outcomes. In Ethiopia, studies related to the stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis and its determinants are limited. Therefore, the study was intended to assess advanced stage presentation and its associated factors among colorectal cancer patients in northwest Ethiopia. An institution-based retrospective study was conducted among 367 CRC patients at two oncologic centers (the University of Gondar and Felege Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospitals) from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2020. Data were entered into EPi-data 4.2.0.0 and transferred to STATA version 14 statistical software for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the outcome variable. All variables with P-value < 0.2 during bi-variable analysis were considered for multivariable logistic regression. The level of statistical significance was declared at P-value <0.05. The magnitude of advanced stage presentation of colorectal cancer was 83.1%. Being rural dwellers (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.8,7.2), not medically insured (AOR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.9,7.8), patients delay (AOR = 6.5; 95% CI:3.2, 13.3), recurrence of the disease (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1,4.7), and no comorbidity illness (AOR = 4.4; 95% CI: 2.1, 9.1) were predictors of advanced stage presentation of CRC. The current study revealed that the advanced-stage presentation of colorectal cancer patients was high. It is recommended that the community shall be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease using different media, giving more emphasis to the rural community, expanding health insurance, and educating patients about the recurrence chance of the disease. Moreover, expansion of colorectal treatment centers and screening of colorectal cancer should be given emphasis.

Risk factors for the prevalence of poor sleep quality in lecturers during COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: an institution-based cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to assess the prevalence and risk factors of poor sleep quality (SQ) among the academic staff at the University of Gondar, Northwestern Ethiopia.DesignAn institution-based cross-sectional study...

About The Author

About The Author

Photographic grading for trachoma diagnosis within trachoma impact surveys in Amhara region, Ethiopia.

As countries reach the trachoma elimination threshold and cases of trachomatous inflammation follicular (TF) become rare, it becomes difficult to train survey graders to recognize clinical signs. We assess the use of photography as a grading tool, the efficiency of an in-country grading center and the comparability of field and photographic grading. During January-February 2017 surveys in Amhara, Ethiopia, field graders assessed TF, trachomatous inflammation intense (TI) and trachomatous scarring (TS). Photographs were taken from each conjunctiva and later graded at the Gondar Grading Center (GGC) at the University of Gondar in Amhara. Two trained ophthalmology residents graded each set of photographs and a third grader provided an adjudicating grade when needed. A total of 4953 photographs of 2477 conjunctivae from 1241 participants in 10 communities were graded over 5d at the GGC. Six examined participants were not photographed. Agreement between field and photographic grades were for TF: percent agreement (PA) 96.7%, κ=0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64 to 0.77; for TI: PA 94.7%, κ=0.32 (95% CI 0.20 to 0.43); and for TS: PA 83.5%, κ=0.22 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.29). Conjunctival photography may be a solution for programs near the elimination threshold where there are few available community cases for training field graders.

Incidence of Opportunistic Infections among HIV-infected Children on ART at Gondar University Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia

Objective: To assess the prevalence and determinants of opportunistic infections among HIV-infected children receiving antiretroviral medication (ART) at the University of Gondar’s comprehensive specialty hospital. Methods: A retrospective cohort research was undertaken at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital between January 11, 2017, and January 10, 2022. The study included 389 HIV-positive children on antiretroviral therapy. A data extraction form derived from the ART entry and follow-up forms was used to collect data from the charts of HIV-infected persons. The data was entered using Epi-dataTM Version 4.5, and the data was analyzed using StataTM Version 16. ofBivariate and multivariate semi-parametric and parametric regression models were fitted to identify risk factors of opportunistic infections. The Kaplan Meier survival curve was used to calculate the time gap between opportunistic infections. Result: Between January 11, 2017, and January 10, 2022, 389 HIV-infected children started antiretroviral therapy (ART). The overall Incidence of opportunistic infections was 4.2 (95 percent CI 3.75 to 4.46) per 100 person-year observation during the follow-up period, which lasted a median of 67 months (IQR=58-76 months). The most common OI at follow-up was bacterial pneumonia, which was 13.5 (95 percent CI: 10.29,17.7). Children with baseline CD4 200 cells/l counts (AHR= 2.05 (1.40, 3.00), baseline Hgb level of 10 g/dl (AHR=5.87 (3.97,8.69), ever taking IPT (AHR=1.71(0.94, 3.11), and HIVinfected children with fair/poor ART adherence (AHR=1.41(0.90, 2.19) were all significantly linked to the development of opportunistic infections. Conclusion: In this study, the rate of opportunistic infections among HIV-positive children was quite low. OIs were significantly associated with characteristics such as baseline CD4 count, Hgb level, adherence to ART, and use of IPT. We feel that early screening and treatment of OIs should be explored as a result of dueto the aforesaid findings above. Additionally, adherence assistance through phone calls and case managers might be increased. Furthermore, at each follow-up examination, children with severe immunodeficiency and advanced disease stages at the time of ART initiation should be closely monitored and extensively screened for the occurrence of OIs. Furthermore, at each followup examination, children with severe immunodeficiency and advanced disease stages at the time of ART initiation should be closely monitored and extensively screened for the occurrence of OIs. Additionally, adherence assistance through phone calls and case managers might be increased. Keywords: Children; Antiretroviral therapy; HIV; Opportunistic infections; Ethiopia

Medical and health science Students' knowledge, attitude, and practice towards complementary and alternative medicine in University of Gondar

BackgroundComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a well-known medical science that uses a variety of therapeutic strategies and approaches to effectively prevent and treat a wide range of human ailments. Determining graduating medical and health science students' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding CAM can help in the integration of these systems into the health care system at large in a healthy manner. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of CAM among the University of Gondar (UOG) graduating medical and health science students. MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 13 to July 26, 2021, at the University of Gondar, college of medicine and health science, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics were calculated for baseline characteristics. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify the association between dependent and independent variables. ResultsThe study included 302 students, making the response rate 98.05%. The mean age of the participants was 23.5 ± 1.4 years. About 80(26.5%) of respondents appeared to have good knowledge. Knowledge about CAM was significantly greater among pharmacy students compared to medical students at 4.852(95% CI-1.831, 12.859). About 86% of students had a positive attitude toward CAM. This study revealed that females had 0.042 times less likely positive attitude towards CAM than male students (95%CI-0.008, 0.210). The most common CAM modality amongst all was nutritional therapy, at 35.8%. Regarding to students' overall practice, 101(33.5%) of students had good practice. pharmacy students had 2.527 times more good practice than medical students (95% CI-1.001, 6.379). Whereas, nursing students were 0.375 times less likely to have good practice than medical students (95% CI-0.141, 0.999). ConclusionAs the finding of this study indicates, despite students' positive attitudes towards CAM, their knowledge and practice are poor.

Microbiological Quality of Yogurt in and Around Bahir Dar City, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia

The study was conducted to assess microbiological quality of yogurt in and around Bahir Dar city. The data were collected through laboratory analysis of yogurt. For this purpose, a total of 61 yogurt samples were collected to analyze the microbiological quality of yogurt. The laboratory work was performed from February 2019-March 2019 in Gondar University Biotechnology Department laboratory. The overall mean standard plate count, coliform count, staphylococcus, lactic acid bacteria, yeast and mold count and PH of yogurt produced in the area were 6.3±0.04 log 10 CFU/mg, 6.13±0.04 log 10 CFU/mg, 6.09±0.11 log 10 CFU/mg, 6.3±0.06 log 10 CFU/mg, 6.26±0.13 log 10 CFU/mg and 4.16±0.02 respectively. There was significant difference between production system at (p&lt;0.05) on lactic acid bacteria count. The yogurt samples which were produced from milk collected from unwashed udder, gourd container and unwashed hands revealed poor microbiological quality and are below yogurt quality standards. Generally, the hygienic practices of yogurt producers in the study area were poor; hence the yogurt was contaminated with various microorganisms. Therefore, improved hygienic measures, efficient yogurt preservation systems, and health packages are required in the study area. Keywords: Bahir Dar, microbial load, yogurt. DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/119-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2022

Symptomatic dry eye disease and associated factors among postgraduate students in Ethiopia.

BackgroundSymptomatic dry eye disease is a growing public health challenge especially among those who are visual display unit (VDU) users and other long-time near activity workers. Globally, computer user adults experience a surge in the prevalence of dry eye. Data is insufficient on the prevalence of dry eye disease among postgraduate students in Ethiopia. Therefore, the present was aimed to assess the prevalence of dry eye and its associated factors among postgraduate students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 423 postgraduate students who were selected based on a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected through online symptom-based ocular surface disease index questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to test the association and p-value of <0.05 was considered to determine the significance of the association.ResultsFrom the total postgraduate students, 404 completed the study with a response rate of 95.5%. The prevalence of symptomatic dry eye disease was 50.5% (95% CI, 45.1%-54.9%). Average continuous visual display unit use for 2-4hours per day[AOR = 2.57 (95% CI, 1.27–5.21)] and for> 4hours per day[AOR = 3.77 (95% CI 1.87–7.59)], duration of visual display unit use for 3–5 years [AOR = 2.24 (95% CI, 1.17–4.31)], 6–8 years [AOR = 2.46 (95% CI,1.31–4.62)] and > 8 years [AOR = 3.25 (95% CI, 1.63–6.48)], average sleeping hour < 7 hours/day within last week [AOR = 2.17 (95% CI, 1.35–3.49)] and current known allergic conjunctivitis [AOR = 5.42 (95% CI, 2.43–12.10)] were significantly associated with symptomatic dry eye disease.Conclusion and recommendationIn this study, about half of postgraduate students faced symptomatic dry eye disease. Significant association was observed between symptomatic dry eye disease and average continuous hours of visual display unit use, duration of visual display unit use in years, shortage of sleep and current known allergic conjunctivitis. It is advisable for postgraduate students to limit screen exposure hour and establish regular breaking time along their exposure. It is also advisable to have optimum sleep as possible. It is also important to explore dry eye disease on a large sample incorporating clinical tests.

Sleep quality and associated factors among nurses working at comprehensive specialized hospitals in Northwest, Ethiopia.

BackgroundPoor sleep quality is common among nurses. This problem possibly results in negative emotional and psychological consequences in nurses which secondary affect their work performances. However, in Ethiopia, there is a paucity of information about poor sleep quality and associated factors among nurses. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of poor sleep quality and associated factors among nurses working at comprehensive specialized hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 542 nurses who worked at University of Gondar (UOG), Tibebe Ghion, Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals, Ethiopia, who were incorporated into the study through a simple random sampling technique from 1 May to 2 June 2021. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) with a cut score of above 5 was used to assess sleep quality using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Other tools used are Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), Shift Work sleep disorders (SWSD), and Oslo-3 social support scales. Epi-Data version 3.1 was used for data entry and SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify variables that have a significant association with poor sleep quality among nurse professionals. The degree of association was assessed using an odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) at a two-tailed p-value of <0.05.ResultsA total of 510 nurses were included in the study with a response rate of 94%. The study showed that the overall prevalence of poor sleep quality among nurses was 75.5% (95% CI (71.8, 79.1). Being female (AOR = 1.72:95% CI = 1.19, 2.28), depressive symptoms (AOR = 2.24:95% CI = 1.24, 3.85), anxiety symptoms (AOR = 2.12: 95% CI = 1.23, 3.62), stress (AOR = 2.85: 95% CI = 1.67, 4.82) and current alcohol drinking (AOR = 1.84 :95% CI = 1.27, 3.13) were significantly associated with poor sleep quality.ConclusionThe overall prevalence of poor sleep quality among nurses was high. Being female, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, stress, and current alcohol drinking had been significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Therefore, it is essential to institute effective intervention strategies emphasizing contributing factors to poor sleep quality.

Development and validation of a nomogram for the prediction of late culture conversion among multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients in North West Ethiopia: An application of prediction modelling.

Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis has impeded tuberculosis prevention and control due to its low treatment efficiency and prolonged infectious periods. Early culture conversion status has long been used as a predictor of good treatment outcomes and an important infection control metric, as culture-negative patients are less likely to spread tuberculosis. There is also evidence that suggests that delayed sputum conversion is linked to negative outcomes. Therefore, this study was aimed at developing a nomogram to predict the risk of late culture conversion in patients with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis using readily available predictors. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a risk prediction nomogram for the prediction of late culture conversion among multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients in North-West Ethiopia. Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis data from the University of Gondar and the Debre Markos referral hospitals have been used and a total of 316 patients were involved. The analysis was carried out using STATA version 16 and R version 4.0.5 statistical software. Based on the binomial logistic regression model, a validated simplified risk prediction model (nomogram) was built, and its performance was evaluated by assessing its discriminatory power and calibration. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess the generated model's clinical and public health impact. Registration group, HIV co-infection, baseline BMI, baseline sputum smear grade, and radiological abnormalities were prognostic determinants used in the construction of the nomogram. The model has a discriminating power of 0.725 (95% CI: 0.669, 0.781) and a P-value of 0.665 in the calibration test. It was internally validated using the bootstrapping method, and it was found to perform similarly to the model developed on the entire dataset. The decision curve analysis revealed that the model has better clinical and public health impact than other strategies specified. The developed nomogram, which has a satisfactory level of accuracy and good calibration, can be utilized to predict late culture conversion in MDR-TB patients. The model has been found to be useful in clinical practice and is clinically interpretable.

Prevalence of mental distress and associated factors among medical students of University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundMental distress is the most common problem among medical students. This is associated with severe consequences of lack of empathy for their patients, committing medical errors, and suicidal ideations and attempts. However, there is limited data on this aspect where the study was conducted especially in this segment of the population. Considering its seriousness, this study will have pivotal input information to plan possible interventions for the future. So, this study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of mental distress and its associated factors among medical students of the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a stratified random sampling technique to get a total of 438 study subjects from April 15–30/2021. Mental distress data were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire of the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Data was entered to Epi-data version 4.6.02 and cleaned, coded, and analyzed using STATA version 14.ResultsThe prevalence of mental distress among medical students was 193(45.95%) with 95% CI (41.2, 50.7). In multi-variable logistic regression being female sex (AOR = 4.5, 95% CI = 2.66, 8.12), lack of interest towards field of study (AOR = 4.4, 95%, CI = (2.18, 8.78), current alcohol use (AOR = 5.8, 95% CI = 3.03, 11.15), monthly pocket money < 735 Ethiopian birr (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.53, 6.04), extremely high test anxiety (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.27, 11.88), family history mental illness (AOR = 2.5 95% CI = 1.12, 5.53) and poor social support (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI = (1.94, 9.16) were significantly associated with mental distress.Conclusion and recommendationPrevalence of mental distress among medical students of University of Gondar was found to be higher when compared to previous studies among this population in Ethiopia. It is recommended that the school of medicine should give undue attention to address those identified factors by establishing counseling centers to minimize mental distress.

Determinants of COVID-19 Related Perception among University of Gondar Academic Staff, Gondar, Ethiopia, 2021: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Introduction. Public perceptions of pandemic risk and prevention measures influence adherence to COVID-19 prevention efforts. Even though several factors influence public perceptions, there has been no research on the predictors of COVID-19-related perception in Ethiopia and there are few articles among academic staff worldwide. Thus, this study aims to assess predictors of COVID-19-related perception among Gondar University academic staff. Method. Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 10 to May 10, 2021. Daniel Soper’s calculator was used to determine the sample size. A simple random sampling technique was employed. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Stata V14. Structural equation modeling was performed to identify determinants of COVID-19 related perception. A p value less than 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval of β were used to declare the statistical significance of the variables. Result. A total of 602 academic staff participated. Mean age of participants was 32.38 (±5.83) years. Family size (β = 0.12), chronic illness (β = −0.19), knowledge (β = 0.11), and cues to action (β = 0.43) were significantly associated with perceived susceptibility. Similarly, educational status (β = −0.11), perceived susceptibility (β = 0.61), and cues to action (β = 0.13) were significantly associated with perceived severity. Likewise, knowledge (β = 0.11) and cues to action (β = 0.62) were significant predictors of self-efficacy. Correspondingly, knowledge (β = 0.23), chronic illness (β = 0.09), profession (β = −0.09), perceived susceptibility (β = 0.19), perceived severity (β = 0.23), and self-efficacy (β = 0.29) were significant predictors of perceived benefit. Similarly, age (β = −0.18), profession (β = 0.10), and perceived susceptibility (β = −0.39) were significantly associated with perceived barriers. Conclusion. Several sociodemographic and other factors affect COVID-19 related perceptions. Intervention should consider those factors to improve COVID-19 prevention practice.