Nasal Carriage of Methicillin-Resistant among Health Care Workers in Tertiary and Regional Hospitals in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) among health care workers (HCWs) increases the risk of spreading the organism in hospital settings. A cross-sectional study was conducted between June and October 2016 among HCWs in tertiary and regional hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to determine the MRSA nasal carriage rate. Nasal swabs were collected from HCWs and cultured on mannitol salt agar.

Erratum to: Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage on admission among patients attending regional hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Following publication of the original article [1], author Elia Mmbaga pointed out that her name had been misspelt as Elia Mbaga.

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage on admission among patients attending regional hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major pathogen responsible for hospital and community acquired infection. Colonization with MRSA is associated with a high risk of developing infection. This study aimed to determine the rate of MRSA carriage on admission and the associated risk factors among patients attending regional hospitals, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The pattern of prognostic and risk indicators among women with breast cancer undergoing modified radical mastectomy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Breast cancer is the commonest female malignancy globally and the second (after uterine cervix) in sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania. Prognostic indicators reportedly influence post-mastectomy adjuvant therapy by predicting risks on survival and recurrence although in Tanzania this data is lacking. Here, we evaluate the pattern of prognostic and risk indicators among women with breast cancer undergoing modified-radical-mastectomy (MRM) at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and Tumaini Hospital (TH), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Antibiotic use in urological surgeries: a six years review at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es salaam-Tanzania.

Introduction: Antimicrobial prophylaxis for urologic procedures is a major issue, as potential advantages of antibiotic administration should be carefully weighed against potential side effects, microbial resistance, and health care costs. This study aimed to review a six years trend of antibiotic use in urological surgeries at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) being an experience in a typical third world environment.

Methods: This was a six years hospital based descriptive, retrospective study conducted of which all case notes of urological patients operated on in between January 2007 to December, 2012 were reviewed by using a structured data collecting tool.

Burns in Tanzania: morbidity and mortality, causes and risk factors: a review.

Burn injuries in low and middle income countries still remain a significant health problem, even though numbers of burn injuries in high income countries have decreased showing that such events are not "accidents" but are usually preventable. WHO states that the vast majority (over 95%) of fire-related burns occur in low and middle income countries. Burn injuries are a major cause of prolonged hospital stays, disfigurement, disability, and death in Africa Region.

Access to emergency and surgical care in sub-Saharan Africa: the infrastructure gap.

Background: The effort to increase access to emergency and surgical care in low-income countries has received global attention. While most of the literature on this issue focuses on workforce challenges, it is critical to recognize infrastructure gaps that hinder the ability of health systems to make emergency and surgical care a reality.

Methods: This study reviews key barriers to the provision of emergency and surgical care in sub-Saharan Africa using aggregate data from the Service Provision Assessments and Demographic and Health Surveys of five countries: Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Essential surgery at the district hospital: a retrospective descriptive analysis in three African countries.

Background: Surgical conditions contribute significantly to the disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet there is an apparent neglect of surgical care as a public health intervention to counter this burden. There is increasing enthusiasm to reverse this trend, by promoting essential surgical services at the district hospital, the first point of contact for critical conditions for rural populations.

Human resource and funding constraints for essential surgery in district hospitals in Africa: a retrospective cross-sectional survey.

Background: There is a growing recognition that the provision of surgical services in low-income countries is inadequate to the need. While constrained health budgets and health worker shortages have been blamed for the low rates of surgery, there has been little empirical data on the providers of surgery and cost of surgical services in Africa. This study described the range of providers of surgical care and anesthesia and estimated the resources dedicated to surgery at district hospitals in three African countries.

Increasing access to surgical services in sub-saharan Africa: priorities for national and international agencies recommended by the Bellagio Essential Surgery Group.

In this Policy Forum, the Bellagio Essential Surgery Group, which was formed to advocate for increased access to surgery in Africa, recommends four priority areas for national and international agencies to target in order to address the surgical burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Addressing gaps in surgical skills training by means of low-cost simulation at Muhimbili University in Tanzania.

Background: Providing basic surgical and emergency care in rural settings is essential, particularly in Tanzania, where the mortality burden addressable by emergency and surgical interventions has been estimated at 40%. However, the shortages of teaching faculty and insufficient learning resources have hampered the traditionally intensive surgical training apprenticeships. The Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences consequently has experienced suboptimal preparation for graduates practising surgery in the field and a drop in medical graduates willing to become surgeons.

Assessing the impact of the trauma team training program in Tanzania.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, injury is responsible for more deaths and disability-adjusted life years than AIDS and malaria combined. The trauma team training (TTT) program is a low-cost course designed to teach a multidisciplinary team approach to trauma evaluation and resuscitation. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of TTT on trauma knowledge and performance of Tanzanian physicians and nurses; and to demonstrate the validity of a questionnaire assessing trauma knowledge.

Motivation of health care workers in Tanzania: a case study of Muhimbili National Hospital.

Objective: The Tanzanian health system is currently undergoing major reforms. As part of this, a study was commissioned into the delivery of services and care at the Muhimbili National Hospital. One of the main components of this comprehensive study was to measure the extent to which workers in the hospital were satisfied with the tasks they performed and to identify factors associated with low motivation in the workplace.

Performance indicators for quality in surgical and laboratory services at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Tanzania.

Objectives: Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), a teaching and national referral hospital, is undergoing major reforms to improve the quality of health care. We performed a retrospective descriptive study using a set of performance indicators for the surgical and laboratory services of MNH in years 2001 and 2002, to help monitor and evaluate the impact of reforms on the quality of health care during and after the reform process.

Methodology: Hospital records were reviewed and information recorded for planned and postponed operations, laboratory equipment, reagents, laboratory tests and quality assurance programmes.

Referral pattern of patients received at the national referral hospital: challenges in low income countries.

Objective: To examine the medical referral pattern of patients received at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in order to inform the process of strengthening the referral system.

Methods: The study design was a prospective study conducted at MNH during a 10-week study period from January to March 2004. The study sample consisted of patients referred to MNH.