Partograph utilization as a decision making tool and associated factors among obstetric care providers in Ethiopia: A systematic review and Meta-analysis
Abstract Background Partograph is a prestigious obstetric tool used to monitor the feto-maternal condition and follow the progress of labour. It is coast effective and affordable health intervention that could prevent obstructed and prolonged labour which is the major cause of maternal mortality that continued to be the global burden worldwide. There are various studies on partograph utilization and associated factors in different regions of Ethiopia. But no studies showed the national estimate of partograph utilization in Ethiopia. Therefore, this review was conducted to estimate the national pooled prevalence of partograph utilization and associated factors in Ethiopia. Method Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed. The databases used were; PubMed, Google scholar, Cochrane Library, African Journals Online, Ethiopian's university research repository online library, and manual searching. The search was further limited to studies conducted in Ethiopia and reported in English. Two authors independently extracted all necessary data using a standardized data extraction format. STATA 11 software was used to analyze the data. The Cochrane Q and I2 test were used to assess the heterogeneity of studies. The pooled estimate prevalence and the odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were computed by a random effect model. Result A total of 19 studies with 6237 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The national pooled prevalence of partograph utilization was 59.95% (95% CI:46.81,73.09) . The pooled adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of partograph utilization for midwifery profession was 4 (95% CI: 2.63,5.99), female health care providers was 3.2 (95%CI:2.218,4.66), Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care training was 2.9 (95%CI:2.19, 3.83), Knowledge of partograph was 2.5 (95%CI: 1.6, 3.87) and short term training on partograph was 5.66 (95%CI: 2.48,12.92), favorable attitude towards partograph was 2.3(AOR=2.3,95%CI:1.5,3) , and working at health center was 3.5(AOR=3.5,95%CI:2.5,4.9). Conclusion The prevalence of partograph utilization was low in Ethiopia. Being a midwifery profession, female obstetric care provider, Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care training, knowledge of partograph, and short term training on partograph , favorable attitude towards partograph , and working at health center were found to be a significant associated factor for partograph utilization.