Wollega University Research Articles

University EFL Instructors’ Attitude towards English Oral Interaction: A Case Study at Wollega University, Ethiopia

The purpose of the current study was to investigate EFL instructors’ attitude towards English oral interaction in EFL classroom. For the study, a constructivism paradigm, a descriptive case study design and a qualitative research approach were employed. The participants were eight EFL instructors selected through purposive sampling technique. The data collection instrument was semi-structured interview. A phenomenological data analysis strategy was utilised. The data were analyzed in terms of the three components of attitude: cognitive, affective and behavioural components. Regarding cognitive component, all the EFL instructors perceived oral interaction as essential in promoting learners’ skills. Pertaining to affective component, the EFL instructors preferred oral interaction. Concerning behavioural component of their attitude towards oral interaction, the EFL instructors were enthusiastic to employ oral interaction in EFL classrooms. Therefore, the findings of the study portrayed that the EFL instructors had positive attitude towards oral interaction in the classroom. The findings indicated that, the EFL instructors utilized most of the oral interaction patterns in EFL classroom. Moreover, the EFL instructors employed the different patterns of English oral interaction most often in EFL classrooms.

Enhancing Learners’ EFL Writing Performance through Extensive Reading Strategy Training into the Writing Process

It is logical to anticipate that teaching one will lead to the student’s proficiency in the other because the reading and writing processes are correlated and, in many cases, combined. The goal was to find out how extended reading strategy training (ERST) affected first-year undergraduate students’ writing abilities. Thirty-one of the 61 undergraduate participants from Wollega University were placed in the control group and 30 were placed in the experimental group. Interviews and tests on the ability to write paragraphs were used to gather the data over the course of 10 weeks. The following criteria were evaluated: the capacity to handle the specified issue, well-developed thoughts, well-organised concepts, acceptable transitions, unity, coherence, syntactic diversity, and idiomaticity with few lexical or grammatical faults. The interview data were evaluated thematically, while the quantitative results were primarily studied using analysis of covariance. The results show that ERST significantly improves the writing abilities of the students. This outcome is consistent with past research that showed extensive reading to be helpful in enhancing students’ writing abilities and offers valuable information on the significance of including the ERST programme into the writing process in writing courses.

Language Assessment of the Literacy Level of Ethiopian EFL Instructors: A Focus on South West Ethiopian Public Universities

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate Language Assessment literacy (LAL) level of EFL instructors who are teaching communicative English language courses in three South West Ethiopian public higher educational institutions.
 Approach/Methodology/Design: The study employed a descriptive research design, which involves quantitative data gathering tool. Accordingly, a questionnaire was used to collect the appropriate data. The target population of the study was 42 Male and 9 female totally 51 instructors who were teaching Communicative English Language Skills courses in Jimma university, Wollega university and Mizan Tepi universities, and all of these instructors were chosen as samples of the study through comprehensive sampling technique
 Results: For measuring the instructors’ Language assessment literacy level, an Assessment Literacy Test (ALT) consisting of 59 items with eight components was given for all 51 instructors. There score in assessment literacy test rests between minimum of 26 and maximum of 44.
 Conclusions: Though their performance is average and low in some of the components of assessment literacy their overall performance is above average.

Surgical management outcome and its associated factors among intestinal obstruction patients admitted to adult surgical ward of Wollega University Referral Hospital, Ethiopia

BackgroundGlobally, bowel obstruction is the most common cause of surgical emergencies. It remains a challenge to healthcare workers in spite of improvements in management techniques. There is a lack of the study to determine the surgical management outcome and its associated factors in the area of study. Hence, this study aimed to determine management outcome and its associated factors among surgically treated intestinal obstruction patients at Wollega University Referral Hospital, 2021.MethodsFacility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among all cases surgically managed for intestinal obstruction between September 1, 2018 and September 1, 2021. Data were collected using a structured checklist. The collected data were checked for completeness and entered into data entry software and then exported to SPSS version 24 for data cleaning and analysis. Both bi-variable and multivariable logistic regressions were run. P-value < 0.05 was used to declare a statistically significant association in multivariable logistic regression. The odds ratio along with 95%CI was estimated to measure the strength of the association.Result116 (59.2%) patients had favorable surgical management outcome for intestinal obstruction. Male sex (AOR = 3.694;95%CI:1.501,9.089), absence of fever (AOR = 2.636; 95%CI:1.124,6.18), ≤ 48 h duration of illness before operation (AOR = 3.045; 95%CI:1.399,6.629), viable intraoperative bowel condition (AOR = 2.372; 95%CI:1.088, 5.175), having bowel resection and anastomosis (AOR = 0.234; 95%CI:0.101,0.544) were the significantly associated factors of the favorable surgical management outcome for intestinal obstruction.Conclusion and recommendationThe favorable management outcome of patients with intestinal obstruction who were treated surgically in this study was low. Factors like sex, fever, short duration of illness, viable intraoperative bowel condition, and bowel resection and anastomosis were found to influence the surgical management outcome of patients with intestinal obstruction. The patient with intestinal obstruction should seek health care on time. Health professionals have to be skilled and provide appropriate care for the patients to reduce the risk of complications.

Jaundice and its associated factors among neonates admitted to selected referral hospitals in southwest oromia, Ethiopia: Multi-center cross-sectional study

BackgroundJaundice is a common clinical problem during the first month of birth throughout the world. Mainly, it is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. ObjectivesThe aimed of this studied was to assess predictors of jaundice among neonates admitted to selected referral hospitals in southwest Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021. MethodsAn Institutional based cross-sectional study was implemented among 205 admitted neonates at selected referral hospitals in southwest Oromia, Ethiopia from October 05 to November 5, 2021. Jimma medical center (JMC), Wollega University referral hospital (WURH), and Ambo University Referral hospital (AURH) were selected by simple random sampling technique. A pretested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and medical record review was used to collect data. Both binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with neonatal jaundice. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with neonatal jaundice. Statistical Significance was declared at P-value less than 0.05 in the final model, and if the confidence interval does not include the null hypothesis value. ResultsThe prevalence of neonatal jaundice was 20.5% (95%CI: 1.74–1.85). The mean age of neonates was 8.6 ± 7.8 days. Traditional medicine use during current pregnancy (AOR: 5.62, 95%CI: 1.07, 9.52), Rh incompatibility (AOR: 0.045, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.21), gestational age (AOR: 4.61, 95%CI: 1.05, 10.3), premature rupture of membrane (AOR: 3.76, 95%CI: 1.58, 8.93) and hypertension (mother) (AOR: 3.99, 95%CI: 1.13, 14.02) were factors significantly associated with neonatal jaundice. ConclusionNeonatal jaundice was relatively higher in the current study. Traditional medicine use, Rh incompatibility, premature ruptures of membrane, hypertension, and preterm gestational age were factors associated with neonatal jaundice.

EFL Instructors’ Micro-Scaffolding in Writing Classrooms: The Case of Wollega University, Ethiopia

The study aimed at measuring the extent to which EFL teachers provide assistance to their students in classroom interactions by writing lessons of Communicative English Language Skills II at the micro level of scaffolding. Case study design was used to achieve the objective of the study. Data was gathered from six English instructors of Wollega University who were selected purposively. The teachers were video recorded while teaching writing lessons. Then the data were transcribed into text. Next, interactional extracts were identified and coded for contingency using van de Poll's (2012) model of contingency shift framework (CSF) and the results were quantified by frequency and percentages. The finding indicated that the teachers began an interaction with high level of control in most interactions, which hinders them to identify their students’ actual knowledge level. Most of their interactions in the writing classroom became noncontingent and partially contingent. Dominantly, the study reviled that in longer interactions, which could help learners to construct knowledge, teachers were not able to adjust their interactional moves according to the students’ understanding level. Thus, it was concluded that EFL teachers were not properly scaffolding the development of students’ learning. This urges teachers to give attention to the concept of scaffolding in their teaching to provide proper assistance for their learners in classroom interactions.

Assessment of Factors Affecting Public Procurement Performance in Case of Wollega University

Assessment of Factors Affecting Public Procurement Performance in Case of Wollega University

EFL instructors’ scaffolding strategies use in writing classrooms: The case of Wollega University

Second language acquisition is facilitated when teachers provide the necessary assistance for the learners through the process of scaffolding. The study aimed at identifying the scaffolding strategies EFL instructors use in writing classrooms at Wollega University. Six EFL teachers were video recorded while teaching writing to first-year students in Communicative English Skills II. The video-recorded data were transcribed and analyzed using Open code project software. Interview data were also used to strengthen the teachers’ classroom activities. The data from the interview were analyzed through narration according to specific themes. The result indicates that the instructors use scaffolding strategies like a questioning, explanation, inviting learners, repeating students’ utterances, praising learners, giving instruction, recasting, directing students’ thinking, giving feedback, use of L1, and others. Contrary to the use of scaffolding strategies, the misuse of the strategies has to be given attention to enhance its usage. Keywords: Interaction; scaffolding; strategies; writing.

Incidence and predictors of diabetes mellitus among severe COVID-19 patients in western Ethiopia: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Evidence reported a high occurrence of diabetes mellitus (DM) during the time of COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the incidence of DM and its predictors among severe COVID-19 patients admitted to the treatment centre of Wollega University Referral Hospital (WURH), western Ethiopia.Methods: A facility-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among severe COVID-19 patients diagnosed using the rRT-PCR from September 30, 2020, to June 10, 2021. EpiData version 3.2 was used for data entry, and STATA version 14 for analysis. A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with DM. A multivariable Cox regression model with 95% CI and adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) was used to identify a significant predictor of the incidence of DM at p-value < 0.05.Results: A total of 304 patient cards with complete data were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the participants was 43.3 (SD ± 16.9) years. Of the total 304 patients admitted with severe COVID-19, 14.5% were newly diagnosed with DM with an overall incidence rate of 13.7 per 1 000 person days’ observation (PDO). The median time to occurrence of DM was 11 days (95% CI 7, 13) days. Age > 41 years (AHR = 2.54, 95% CI 1.15, 5.57), living in urban (AHR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.12, 5.52) and loss of appetite (AHR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.16, 4.34) increased the hazard of DM incidence, while presenting to the health facility after two days of clinical manifestation (AHR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.23, 0.96) decreased the risk of developing DM.Conclusions: The incidence rate of DM among patients admitted with severe COVID-19 in the study area was found to be 13.7 per 1 000 person days’ observation. Higher age, urban residence, early presentation to a health facility and loss of appetite were independent predictors of DM incidence. Therefore, we recommend early detection of DM and frequent monitoring of blood glucose for patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Assessment of Blood Donation Practice and Its Associated Factors Among Wollega University Undergraduate Students, Ethiopia.

Blood donation is the process of collecting blood from donors who are at low risk for infection and unlikely to jeopardize their own health. Blood donation addresses maternal and child mortality and contributes to saving millions of lives. But many African countries including Ethiopia are far below the minimum blood collection rate. Furthermore, the blood donation practice is not well studied among young university students in the study area. Hence, this study was done to assess the blood donation practice and associated factors among Wollega University students, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 387 students of Wollega University. The students were selected by systematic random sampling. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were entered into Epidata V.3.1 and exported to SPSSV.25 for analysis. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the associated factors. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and P-value <0.05 were used to declare the statistically significant associations in the multivariable regression. The analyzed result was presented using tables, graphs, and text. Of the 360 respondents, 147 (40.8%; 95% CI: 35.7-46.1%) ever donated blood. Blood donation practice was significantly associated with college of the students (AOR = 3.247; 95% CI: 1.348-7.820), not taking part in blood donation campaigns (AOR = 0.285; 95% CI: 0.161-0.503), knowledge of blood bank location (AOR = 5.297; 95% CI: 3.081-9.110), knowledge about blood donation (AOR = 2.035; 95% CI: 1.123-3.686) and attitude toward blood donation (AOR = 2.266; 95% CI: 1.122-4.577). The magnitude of blood donation in this study was found to be less than the recommended level by the World Health Organization. Absence of the blood donation campaigns, college of study, lack of knowledge, and poor attitude toward blood donation were the factors that influence the blood donation practice. All health and related institutions including the Wollega University must work in coordination to improve the blood donation practice focusing on the regular voluntary blood donors.

IoT-Deep Learning Based Face Mask Detection System for Entrance and Exit Door

During the pandemic, it has been seen that the global population follows the guidelines issued by the health organization regarding wearing face masks, but some people do not take care of this and do not use masks. The objective of the proposed system, Wollega University Face Mask Detection System (WUFMDS), is to restrict people who are not wearing a mask on the door side by identifying the face mask from the face or open the door if the incoming person is wearing the mask. This system is based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and a Deep Learning algorithm called Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). For this purpose, images with and without masks were collected as samples from the university. The CNN algorithm is used to detect the mask and classify it as with or without masks. The IoT module controls the door operation based on the classification response sent to the IoT module by the CNN algorithm. The system was tested lively with the dummy door system in order to ensure the functionality of the face mask detection system and developed software applications for the system model are working as defined objectives. Our model had 99.36% accuracy with the training dataset and 99.29% accuracy with the validation set. Hence, the proposed system could be used for the automatic identification and classification of masks on the face and to operate the door to allow the person who is wearing the mask to pass through while keeping it closed when no mask is found on the face.

Survival status and predictors of neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to Neonatal Intensive care Unit (NICU) of Wollega University referral hospital (WURH) and Nekemte Specialized hospital, Western Ethiopia: A prospective cohort study.

The neonatal period is the most vulnerable time for survival in which children face the highest risk of dying in their lives. Neonatal mortality (NM) remains a global public concern, especially in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Although, better progress has been made in reducing NM before 2016, Ethiopia is currently one of the top ten countries affected by NM. Studies are limited to secondary data extraction in Ethiopia which focus only on survival status during admission, and no study has been conducted in the study area in particular. To assess the survival status and predictors of neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to the NICU of WURH and Nekemte Specialized Hospital, Western Ethiopia. An institution-based prospective cohort study was conducted among a cohort of 412 neonates admitted to the NICU of WURH and Nekemte Specialized Hospital from September 1, 2020 to December 30, 2020. All neonates consecutively admitted to the NICU of the two hospitals during the study period were included in the study. Data entry was performed using Epidata version 3.0 and the analysis was performed using STATA version 14. A Kaplan Meier survival curve was constructed to estimate the cumulative survival probability. A cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify the predictors of NM. Hazard Ratios with 95% CI were computed and all the predictors associated with the outcome variable at p-value ≤ 0.05 in the multivariable cox proportional hazards analysis were declared as a significant predictor of NM. A total of 412 neonates were followed for a median of 27 days with an IQR of 22-28 days. During the follow-up period, a total of 9249 person day observations (PDO) were detected. At the end of follow-up, 15.3% of neonates died with an overall incidence rate of death 6.81/1000 PDO. The median time to death was 10 days, and the highest incidence rate of death was observed during the first week of the neonatal period. The study found that rural residence (AHR = 2.04, 95%CI: 1.14, 3.66), lack of ANC visits (AHR = 7.77, 95%CI: 3.99, 15.11), neonatal hypothermia (AHR = 3.04, 95%CI: 1.36, 6.80), and delayed initiation of breastfeeding (AHR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.12, 4.56) as independent predictors of NM. However, a decreased number of pregnancies decrease the risk of NM. The incidence rate of neonatal death was high particularly in the first week of life in the study area. The study found that lack of ANC visit, neonatal hypothermia, increased number of pregnancies, rural residence, and delayed initiation of breastfeeding positively predicted NM. Therefore, there is a need to encourage programs that enhance ANC visits for pregnant mothers and community-based neonatal survival strategies, particularly for countryside mothers.

Incidence and predictors of death from COVID-19 among patients admitted to treatment center of Wollega University Referral Hospital, Western Ethiopia: A retrospective cohort study.

IntroductionCurrently, COVID-19 contributes to mortality and morbidity in developed as well as in developing countries since December 2019. However, there is scarcity of evidence regarding the incidence and predictors of death among patients admitted with COVID-19 in developing country including Ethiopia, where the numbers of deaths are under-reported. Hence, this study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of death among patients admitted with COVID-19 in Wollega University Referral Hospital (WURH), western Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution based retrospective cohort study design was conducted among 318 patients admitted with COVID-19 in WURH treatment center. Patients who were tested positive for COVID-19 by using rRT-PCR test and admitted with the diagnosis of severe COVID-19 cases from September 30, 2020 to June 10, 2021 were a source population. Epidata version 3.2 was used for data entry, and STATA version 14 for analysis. A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with mortality from COVID-19. Multivariable Cox regression model with 95% CI and Adjusted Hazard Ratio (AHR) was used to identify a significant predictor of mortality from COVID-19 at p-value < 0.05.ResultsA total of 318 patients were included in final analysis with mean age of 44 (SD±16.7) years and about two third (67.9%) were males. More than half (55.7%) of patients had no comorbidity on admission. The majority, 259 (81.45%) of patients recovered from COVID-19 and 267 (84%) of patients were censored at the end of follow up. The incidence rate of mortality was 14.1 per/1000 (95%CI: 10.7, 18.5) person days observation. Age ≥ 59 years (AHR: 5.76, 95%CI: 2.58, 12.84), low oxygen saturation (AHR: 2.34, 95% CI: (2.34, 4.17), and delayed presentation (AHR: 5.60, 95%CI: 2.97, 10.56) were independent predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients.ConclusionThe mortality rate of COVID-19 pandemic was high in the study area, and most of death was happened during the first 10 days. Being old age, low oxygen saturation and delayed presentation were factors which predict mortality due to COVID-19. Hence, strengthening the health care delivery system to satisfy the need of the patients should get due attention to reduce the incidence of mortality from COVID-19 cases.

Poor sleep quality and associated factors among pregnant women on antenatal care follow up at Nekemte Referral Hospital and Wollega University Hospital, Nekemte, Ethiopia, 2019: a cross-sectional study

Sleep disturbances are common in women, especially during pregnancy. This can result in emotional and psychological consequences for pregnant women, and it could lead to some serious complications for both mothers and their babies. However, it is not well recognized and has not been studied in developing countries, including Ethiopia.ObjectiveTo assess the quality of sleep and associated factors among pregnant women on antenatal care follow-up at Nekemte Referral Hospital and Wollega University Hospital, Nekemte, Ethiopia 2019.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2019 at Nekemte Referral Hospital and Wollega University Hospital. A systematic random sampling technique was used to get 408 samples. Sleep quality was assessed using structured questionnaires of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index tool. Then, the collected data was coded and entered into Epi-Data 3.1 version and analyzed using SPSS version 20. A logistic regression analysis was computed to determine the association between independent variables and sleep quality. Statistically significant was considered at P-value < 0.05.ResultsWith 96.4% response rate, the magnitude of poor sleep quality was found to be 59.1% [95% CI: (54.2, 64)]. Poor sleep quality was high among participants with unplanned pregnancy [AOR = 4.25,95%CI:(1.47,12.23)],poor sleep hygiene[AOR = 2.93,95%CI:(1.41,6.09)],depressed women[AOR = 5.73,95%CI:(2.49,13.21)], anxiety disorder[AOR = 6.62,95%CI:(2.61,16.82)] and third trimester participants [AOR = 5.84,95% CI:(2.49,13.21)].ConclusionThis study demonstrated that poor sleep quality among pregnant women is high. Factors like depression, anxiety, poor sleep hygiene, first time pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, and late gestational age were found to be associated with poor sleep quality. This underlines health care planners’ needs to incorporate screening for poor sleep quality into routine ANC services.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome among patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to treatment center of Wollega University Referral Hospital, Western Ethiopia.

BackgroundAcute respiratory distress syndrome is a life-threatening condition that has a significant effect on the occurrence of morbidity and mortality among patients with severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To the best of researchers’ knowledge, there is no Study on ARDS of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of ARDS and associated factors among severe COVID-19 patients at Wollega University Referral Hospital.MethodsAn institution-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from September 20, 2020, to June 10, 2021. Real-Time Reverse transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) test was used to test Patients for COVID-19. Epi-data version 3.2 was used for data entry, and the final data analysis was through STATA version 14. After checking the assumption P-value<0.25 in the bivariable analysis was used to select a candidate variable for multi-variable analysis, and a p-value of <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.ResultsIn this study, the prevalence of ARDS was 32%. Almost all the patients had the clinical feature of cough (93.7%), followed by shortness of breath (79.9%), fever (77.7%), and headache (67%). Age older than 65 years (AOR = 3.35, 95%CI = 1.31, 8.55), male gender (AOR = 5.63, 95%CI = 2.15, 14.77), and low oxygen saturation level (AOR = 4.60, 95%CI = 1.15, 18.35) were the independent predictors of ARDS among severe COVID-19 patients.ConclusionThe prevalence of ARDS among patients with severe COVID-19 was high in the study area. Therefore, elders and patients with critical conditions (low oxygen saturation) better to get special attention during COVID-19 case management to enhance good care and monitoring of the patients.

Health professionals’ COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and associated factors in Wollega University referral hospital, Western Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Background Health professionals’ willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine is very important, and evidence suggests that only a limited proportion of health-care workers were ready to accept a COVID-19 vaccine, which is very low when compared with the risk of the disease. This study aimed to assess health professionals’ acceptability and associated factors in Wollega University referral hospital, Western Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among health-care workers in Wollega University referral hospital from March 26–28, 2021. The data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. Epi-data version 3.2 was used for data entry, and STATA version 14 was used for data analysis. The binary logistic regression model was employed to determine factors associated with the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals was computed and statistical significance was declared at a 5% level (p-value <.05). Results A total of 191 health professionals have participated in the study. The study indicates that 65.4% (95% CI: 58.6%, 72.2%) of health professionals had the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if available. Age of health professionals (AOR = 3.58, 95% CI: 1.38, 8.38), knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine (AOR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.22, 7.23), and perception of COVID 19 vaccine (AOR = 5.71, 95% CI: 2.50, 13.00) were significantly associated with vaccine acceptability. Conclusions and recommendations Nearly, two-thirds of health professionals were willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine, which is low. In general, continuous communication and health education have to be provided to enhance overall awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine.

An Analytical Study of Architecture Design Studios with Respect to Orientation and Facade Treatment

Building orientation is one of the most important design tools that can have a significant impact on the control of solar radiation and wind flow into a building. A country like Ethiopia has a predominantly hot and dry climate and hence receives an ample amount of sunlight throughout the year. The buildings need to be oriented to reduce the solar heat gain on the buildings and maximize the natural ventilation. The paper investigates the effect of orientation and facade treatment of the design studios on the thermal performance of students’ mental states and physical health. The design studio building is oriented in the east-west direction and located in Nekemte Campus of Wollega University, selected as the study area. The building orientation, facade treatment, window to wall ratio, and window size and level were studied and analyzed. The results from the data analysis clearly show that the east-west facing windows helps in thermal heat gain in the building, thereby increasing the inside temperature, compared to the windows oriented in north-south directions for both ventilated and unventilated rooms.

Evaluation of the performance of Panbio™ COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in suspected patients in Ethiopia.

Objective:Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is a gold standard diagnostic tool for coronavirus disease-2019. Limited coverage and long turnaround times are linked to the poor response to the pandemic in developing countries like Ethiopia. To overcome the challenges, rapid antigen diagnostic kits are recommended if their diagnostic performance is at an acceptable level. We explored the performance of the Panbio™ coronavirus disease-2019 antigen rapid diagnostic test in diagnosing the coronavirus disease-2019 infection.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on coronavirus disease-2019 suspected patients in Wollega University Referral Hospital, from 1 April to 30 May 2021. After obtaining consent/ assent, sociodemographic and pair of nasopharyngeal samples were collected from each and examined by Panbio antigen rapid diagnostic test and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Data were entered and analysed using SPSS version 24. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and kappa values were calculated.Results:A total of 148 coronavirus disease-2019 suspected individuals (54.1% male) participated in the study. Of all, 73 (49.3%) were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test. The sensitivity and specificity of Panbio were found 81% (95% confidence interval: 71%–91%) and 98.7% (95% confidence interval: 96%–100%), respectively. From 75 negative and 73 positive samples by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, 1 (1.33%) and 14 (19.18%) were found false positive and negative by antigen rapid diagnostic test, respectively. Positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Panbio were 98.3% and 84.1%, respectively, and test agreement was substantial (kappa value = 0.80).Conclusion:Panbio has fine performance in suspected patients. Further studies are needed to examine the accuracy of self-collecting and patient self-testing with healthcare workers, using antigen rapid diagnostic test against the reference standard.

Sexual assault cases managed at a referral hospital in Western Ethiopia: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objectives:Sexual assault is the most prevalent and hidden global problem. The condition is worse in developing countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, this study described the survivors’ characteristics, clinical profiles, and management of cases of sexual assault at the One-Stop Service Center for survivors of sexual assault at a referral hospital in Western Ethiopia.Methods:A facility-based retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess 203 cases of sexual assault managed at the One-Stop Service Center for survivors of sexual assault in Wollega University Referral Hospital from January 2019 to March 2022. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured checklist. Data were organized using Epidata version 3.1, cleaned, and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. The results were presented in tables.Results:Of 203 cases of alleged sexual assaults during the study period, 142 (70%) and 61 (30%) of survivors were raped and attempted rape, respectively. The age of survivors ranges from 3 to 28 years with a mean age of 15.7 ± 4.7 years. One hundred ninety-four (95.6%) were females. Seventy percent of them were students. Most of the survivors, 173 (85.2%), were assaulted by a person known to them. Only 74 (36.5%) present to the hospital within 72 h. Genital injuries were documented in 153 (75.4%). More than half, 112 (55.2%), were brought to the hospital by the police officers. In this study, 34 (16.7%) of survivors were admitted and 10 (4.9%) needed surgical procedures. Serology for syphilis, hepatitis B virus and HIV were reactive in 5 (7.1%), 1 (0.5%), and 1 (0.5%) respectively. The pregnancy test was positive in 12 (7.1%) of survivors. One (0.5%) study participant died in the intensive care unit.Conclusion:In this study, children and adolescents were the most vulnerable group, and survivors’ presentation to the hospital was delayed. They presented to the hospital with variable complications, including minor genital and/or extra-genital injuries, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, fractures, and multiple organ failures leading to death. Therefore, it is recommended that all concerned stakeholders work on the prevention of sexual assault in the study area. Legal protection for these survivors and students should also be strengthened. It is also recommended to evaluate the execution of existing national and international policies and programs toward sexual assault to develop contextual policies and guidelines.

Causes of Admission And Clinical Outcomes Among Adult ICU Admitted Patients at Wollega University Referral Hospital

Causes of Admission And Clinical Outcomes Among Adult ICU Admitted Patients at Wollega University Referral Hospital