Background: Female breast cancer is becoming an emerging public health problem which accounts for 33% of all cancers in women and 23% of all cancer cases in Ethiopia. The majority of women with breast cancer are diagnosed at later stages due to delayed presentation to seek treatment. Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with patient delay at presentation among breast cancer patients at Dessie Referral Hospital, the only oncology center in North East Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted an institution-based cross-sectional study among 204 female patients with pathology-confirmed breast cancer at the only oncology center of North East Ethiopia from January to June 2020. An interviewer administered questionnaire and a medical record data extraction tool were used to address the objective of the study. Patients were said to be delayed for diagnosis if the time duration between first clinical presentations to first clinical consultation was more than 3 months. Then, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was employed to analyze the association between dependent and independent variables. Results: Among a total of 209 eligible participants, 5 refused to participate with a response rate of 97.6%. The proportion of patients with delayed presentation was 103 (50.5%), with the median time taken to visit a healthcare provider after recognition of the first symptom was 4 months. Age above 40 years (AOR=4.81; 95% CI=1.26-18.65) P<0.024, college and above educational status (AOR=0.05; 95% CI=0.01-0.77) p<0.036, government employee (AOR=0.19, 95% CI=0.03-0.91) P<0.002, urban residence (AOR= 0.21; 95% CI=0.01-0.82) p<0.001, visit traditional healer (AOR=0.38; 95% CI=0.2-0.69) P<0.0037, and no lump in under armpit (AOR= 9.05; 95% CI=1.14-22.69) P<0.002 were associated with delayed presentation. Conclusion: Delays to seek treatment is generally high in our study. Age, educational status, occupation, residence, visiting traditional healer, and absence of lump in under armpit were significant factors for delayed presentation. Intervention programs focusing on reducing delayed presentation should be employed.

Background. Preoperative fasting is important to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration during anesthesia. The influence of prolonged fasting time on glucose levels during anesthesia in children remains uncertain. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing preoperative fasting time and its association with hypoglycemia during anesthesia in pediatric patients undergoing elective procedures at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The research hypothesis of the study is as follows: there is a prolonged preoperative fasting time, and it influences the glucose levels during anesthesia among pediatric patients undergoing elective procedures at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods. Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 258 pediatric patients who had undergone elective procedures in a tertiary care center. A systematic sampling method was used to select study participants. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews and medical record reviews. Binary logistic regression was used to identify associated factors of hypoglycemia during anesthesia among pediatric patients undergoing elective procedures. All explanatory variables with a p value of ≤0.25 from the bivariable logistic regression model were fitted into the multivariable logistic regression model to control the possible effect of confounders, and finally, the variables which had an independent association with hypoglycemia were identified based on adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval, and a p value less than 0.05 was significant. Results. The mean (standard deviation) fasting hours from breast milk, solid foods, and clear fluids were 7.75 (2.89), 13.25 (3.14), and 12.31 (3.22), respectively. The majority (89.9%, 57.9%, and 100%) of participants had fasted from solid, breast milk, and clear fluids for more than 8, 6, and 4 hours, respectively. More than one-fourth (26.2%) of participants were hypoglycemic immediately after induction. Residence, order of nothing per mouth, source of patient, and duration of fasting from solid foods had a significant association with hypoglycemia during anesthesia in children. Conclusion. Children undergoing elective procedures were exposed to unnecessarily long fasting times which were associated with hypoglycemia during anesthesia.

Background: Assessment of supportive care needs for cancer patients and identifying factors affecting these needs is important for the implementation of supportive care programmes, as the burden of cancer is increasing in Ethiopia.