BackgroundAdolescent deliveries remain a global public health concern especially in low- and middle-income countries where 95% of these deliveries occur. In Cameroon, adolescent pregnancies have a high disease burden due to their association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. We sought to evaluate the prevalence, trend and adverse maternofoetal outcomes of adolescent deliveries in a rural community in Cameroon.MethodWe carried out a retrospective register analysis of 1803 singleton deliveries in two health facilities located in the Oku sub-division over an 8-year period (2009 to 2016). We excluded: records without maternal age, babies born before arrival, birthweights less than 1000 g, multiple deliveries and deliveries before 28 weeks gestation. Data analysis was done using Epi info 7.0.8.3. The Fisher’s exact test was used to compare categorical variables, while the chi-square test for trends was used to determine time trends. P-values below 5% were considered statistically significant.ResultsThe 8-year prevalence of adolescent deliveries was 20.4% (95% CI = 18.6–22.4) with a significant, downward trend between 2009 and 2016 (P trend = 0.05). Second-fourth degree perineal tears were more likely to complicate adolescent (Age < 20 years) deliveries compared with their adult (Age ≥ 20 years) counterparts (OR = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.8–4.7; p < 0.001). Also, babies born to adolescent mothers were more likely to have a low birthweight (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.1–2.6; p = 0.009) and be asphyxiated at the fifth minute of life (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.9–5.5; p < 0.001). Over an eight-year period, the downward trend in the prevalence of adolescent deliveries was associated with a significant decrease in the trend of neonatal asphyxia at the fifth minute. Married adolescents and their babies were as likely to develop the complications of adolescent delivery such as second-fourth degree perineal tears (OR = 0.8; 95% CI = 0.4–1.6; p = 0.456), low birthweight (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 0.9–4.7; p = 0.070) and fifth minute neonatal asphyxia (OR = 0.9; 95% CI = 0.4–2.0; p = 0.832) as single adolescents and their babies.ConclusionThe prevalence of adolescent deliveries in this rural community is high with one of every five babies born to an adolescent mother. Despite the downward trend indicating a decrease in adolescent deliveries, our study demonstrates the need to reinforce and effectively apply existing government-based public health programme to target key indicators of adolescent pregnancy in Cameroon.

BackgroundAlthough surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most studied healthcare-associated infections, the global burden of SSI after appendectomy remains unknown.ObjectiveWe estimated the incidence of SSI after appendectomy at global and regional levels.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.ParticipantsAppendectomy patients.Data sourcesEMBASE, PubMed and Web of Science were searched, with no language restrictions, to identify observational studies and clinical trials published between 1 January 2000 and 30 December 2018 and reporting on the incidence of SSI after appendectomy. A random-effect model meta-analysis served to obtain the pooled incidence of SSI after appendectomy.ResultsIn total, 226 studies (729 434 participants from 49 countries) were included in the meta-analysis. With regard to methodological quality, 59 (26.1%) studies had low risk of bias, 147 (65.0%) had moderate risk of bias and 20 (8.8%) had high risk of bias. We found an overall incidence of SSI of 7.0 per 100 appendectomies (95% prediction interval: 1.0–17.6), varying from 0 to 37.4 per 100 appendectomies. A subgroup analysis to identify sources of heterogeneity showed that the incidence varied from 5.8 in Europe to 12.6 per 100 appendectomies in Africa (p<0.0001). The incidence of SSI after appendectomy increased when the level of income decreased, from 6.2 in high-income countries to 11.1 per 100 appendectomies in low-income countries (p=0.015). Open appendectomy (11.0 per 100 surgical procedures) was found to have a higher incidence of SSI compared with laparoscopy (4.6 per 100 appendectomies) (p=0.0002).ConclusionThis study suggests a high burden of SSI after appendectomy in some regions (especially Africa) and in low-income countries. Strategies are needed to implement and disseminate the WHO guidelines to decrease the burden of SSI after appendectomy in these regions.Prospero registration numberCRD42017075257.

ObjectivesBurnout syndrome defined as a state of emotional exhaustion and disengagement; which could reduce optimal healthcare delivery, is relatively common amongst healthcare trainees. We sought to assess the determinants of burnout syndrome amongst nursing students in Cameroon. A cross-sectional study which included 447 nursing students recruited after written informed consent by convenience sampling, was carried out from January to April 2018. A printed self-administered questionnaire assessing burnout using the OLdenburg Burnout Inventory was used. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent determinants of burnout syndrome.ResultsMost (81.17%) of the students were female with the average for disengagement items being 17.10 ± 3.09 (minimum = 8, maximum = 26) and 20.94 ± 3.04 (minimum = 13, maximum = 31) for exhaustion items. After multivariable linear regression analysis, satisfaction with results (RC: − 1.42, 95% CI − 2.52, − 0.32, p value: 0.012) and regret of choice of nursing studies (RC: 2.13, 95% CI 0.58, 3.68, p value = 0.007) were found to be independent predictors of burnout in these students. Early identification of these determinants is required to prevent progression to burnout.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3567-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background The endemic nature of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Sub-Saharan Africa is a significant public health problem that places health care providers (medical students inclusive) at increased risk of occupational exposure. However vaccination against HBV is not systematic among medical students in Cameroon. Thus, we sought to evaluate awareness and HBV vaccine coverage among medical students in Cameroon. Methods Using semistructured questionnaire and a cross-sectional approach, medical students from 3 State Universities in Cameroon were evaluated for their knowledge, attitudes, and vaccination status against the HBV. Data were collected over a 3-month period. HBV vaccine status was defined as complete (3 doses), partial (1 and 2 doses), and unvaccinated. Data were entered and analyzed using Epi-info 7. Results There were 714 respondents among whom 186 (26.05%) had been vaccinated at least once against HBV. Sixty-six (9.24%) were partially vaccinated and 120 (16.81%) completely vaccinated. No student had done postvaccination serologic testing to confirm full immunisation. Eighty-three percent (83.00%) of respondents had adequate knowledge on HBV infection and vaccine, while 90.00% had adequate knowledge on HBV transmission. Most medical students had a positive attitude towards the HBV vaccine. The most common negative attitudes were worries about the side effects and fears of being infected by the vaccine. Conclusion Despite adequate knowledge on HBV infection and vaccination only about 1 in 6 medical students had completed the HBV vaccination series. This highlights the need for better health policies aimed at increasing access and coverage of the HBV in at-risk populations like medical students.

ObjectivesBurnout syndrome is common amongst medical personnel. The objective of this study was to identify determinants of burnout syndrome among nurses in the north west and south west regions of Cameroon.ResultsA cross-sectional analysis during the months of January–June 2018 was carried out recruiting nurses consecutively after consent from state-owned and private hospitals in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. Burnout was assessed using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Univariable regression analysis used to identify determinants of burnout syndrome among 143 nurses (mean age 29.75 ± 6.55 years) showed that being in a personal relationship (Beta = 2.25) significantly explained 3.8% of the variation in burnout (R2 = 3.8, F (1, 125) = 4.89, p = 0.029).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-4004-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.