Harar

Researchers are evaluating an intervention to reduce non-communicable disease NCD risks among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care ANC in urban health centers across four Ethiopian cities. The study focuses on improving maternal health behaviors and pregnancy outcomes by addressing unhealthy diets, low physical activity, and air pollution exposure, factors linked to increased health risks for mothers and newborns and potential long-term NCD development. The trial compares two groups one receiving standard routine ANC and the other receiving structured lifestyle counseling integrated into ANC visits. This counseling targets diet, physical activity, and air pollution behaviors, supported by health worker training, facilitation by trained staff, and a digital ANC eRegistry for clinical decision support. The study is conducted in 77 urban health centers with about 1,268 pregnant women enrolled before 20 weeks gestation and followed through delivery. Participants attend routine ANC visits where data on birth weight and maternal behaviors are collected, alongside assessments of counseling quality and ANC service delivery. Additional biomarker studies analyze maternal and newborn samples for early NCD risk markers. Researchers monitor implementation feasibility and acceptability through surveys, routine data, and interviews. The total study duration covers pregnancy until delivery, with data collected at baseline, during pregnancy, and up to 18 months post-intervention for some measures.

Researchers are studying the PartoMa approach, which includes locally agreed and achievable intrapartum care guidelines and a continuous in-house training program, to improve decision making during labor in Eastern Ethiopia. This study aims to introduce this approach along with continuous fetal heart rate monitoring using the MOYO device to reduce perinatal mortality and improve outcomes for mothers and newborns at two busy hospitals. The study is organized in four phases baseline assessment, co-creation of context-specific intrapartum care guidelines, implementation of PartoMa seminars and fetal heart rate monitoring, and post-intervention evaluation. The PartoMa seminars and low dose high frequency trainings are introduced after adapting guidelines from Tanzania to fit the local setting. Health providers will use continuous fetal heart rate monitoring with the MOYO device to support decision making during labor. Participants include laboring women delivering at the study sites and health care providers. Women and their newborns will be followed until discharge. Researchers will collect data through interviews, observations, and record reviews to assess fetal heart rate monitoring practices, guideline compliance, and pregnancy outcomes. Key outcomes include stillbirth, birth asphyxia, maternal death, cesarean sections, and quality of intrapartum care. The study runs from June 2023 to May 2025 with ongoing monitoring and evaluation throughout.

Researchers are investigating how a rapid bedside test measuring the biomarker sTREM-1 can identify hospitalized children at higher risk of serious health problems or death in low and middle-income countries. This study aims to see if this test can help guide treatment and improve survival and health after discharge. The trial is part of a larger project focused on improving outcomes for children with fever syndromes. The study involves children aged 1 month to under 5 years who are admitted to hospital and identified as moderate to high risk by the biomarker test. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either L-citrulline syrup, a supplement involved in nitric oxide production, or a placebo. The treatment is given twice daily by weight for 28 days. The trial is conducted in multiple sites in Mozambique and Ethiopia and uses a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Participants will be followed for six months with visits at the hospital, home, or by phone on days 3, 5, 7, 28, and at 6 months. Researchers will monitor adverse outcomes including death, neurological problems, kidney events, organ support needs, shock, coma, respiratory distress, or hospital readmission within 28 days. Safety events and longer-term health after discharge will also be assessed to understand the treatments impact and overall child survival.

Researchers are conducting a multicenter, prospective observational study to determine how often complications occur in the post-anesthesia care unit PACU and to identify factors linked to these complications. The study focuses on surgical patients recovering from anesthesia in Ethiopia and will compare findings with data from a hospital in Spain. Understanding these complications and their causes can help improve patient care and safety in the perioperative period. The study will include adult patients admitted to PACUs after surgery under general, regional, or monitored anesthesia at four hospitals. Researchers will monitor patients for complications such as lung problems, blood flow issues, temperature changes, or pain using questionnaires and physical exams. The study runs from February 15, 2025, to June 30, 2025, and collects data for analysis without altering patient treatment. Participants will be observed for up to eight hours after surgery in the PACU, during which their health status and any complications will be recorded. Data collection involves physical exams and questionnaires to track complications and associated factors. The research aims to provide valuable insights to healthcare providers and policymakers to enhance PACU care and patient safety in these settings.