Healthcare providers’ practice and knowledge towards oxygen therapy in East African countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: oxygen therapy is a medical treatment provided for all patients who need critical care. To provide effective oxygen therapy, healthcare providers should have good knowledge and practice towards oxygen therapy. There are several separate studies done in East African countries, however there no data on the overall level of healthcare providers practice and knowledge on oxygen therapy. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to determine the general level of healthcare providers practice, knowledge, and related factors in East African countries. METHODS AND MATERIAL: In order to find articles on oxygen therapy, we searched databases such as PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CLINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane library, repositories from East African countries, and Google Scholar. The review involved articles published in English language and utilizing a cross-sectional study design that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Chi-square and Cochrane Q-Static were used to examine the heterogeneity of the articles included. The researchers used a random effect model to examine the healthcare providers' practice and knowledge of oxygen therapy in East African countries. Funnel plot and Eggers test were used to evaluate publication bias. STATA software version 14 was used for conducting all statistical analyses. RESULT: A total of 25 articles were included involving 4,433 healthcare providers. The review found that 45% of healthcare providers had good knowledge of oxygen therapy, while 48% had good practice in East African countries. In particular, Tanzania had the highest score (62.5%) for healthcare providers' practice towards oxygen therapy, while Egypt had the lowest score (18%). Concerning healthcare providers' knowledge of oxygen therapy, Uganda had the highest percentage at 76%, while Egypt had the least at 6%. In addition, the study revealed a strong association between the knowledge, experience, education level, and practice of healthcare providers, while the knowledge of healthcare providers on oxygen therapy was significantly associated with their training and experience. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers in East African countries had poor knowledge and practice of oxygen therapy. It also found factors that were statistically linked to the healthcare providers' practice and knowledge of oxygen therapy. Hence, it is essential for all stakeholders and health ministries, as well as non-governmental organizations and other relevant bodies in each East African country, to collaborate in enhancing the practice and knowledge of healthcare providers and addressing identified factors. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: It recorded this review with registration number CRD42024551105.