Facteurs associés aux attitudes discriminatoires des chirurgiens-dentistes vis-à-vis des personnes vivant avec le VIH en Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVES: Discriminatory attitudes (DA) of dental surgeons towards PLWHIV may hinder their access to oral health care. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with the discriminatory attitudes of dentists towards PLHIV in Côte d’Ivoire. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on a randomly selected sample of dentists in Abidjan. The data collected were: their socio-professional characteristics, their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, their perceptions and attitudes towards PLWHIV, and whether they had received continuing education or sensitization on HIV/AIDS. Discriminatory attitudes was a binary variable, defined from the combination of four criteria. Numbers and percentages were calculated for all variables. The risk of having DA was estimated by the odds ratio. RESULTS: A total of 120 dentists were surveyed, 43.3% of whom were women and 39.2% from the private sector. They did not know the routes of transmission (29.2%) and the oral pathologies associated with HIV (62.5%). Their perceptions were dominated by the fear of being contaminated during care (69.2%). The frequency of DA was estimated at 69.2%. The main associated factors were: female gender; lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS-related oral pathologies, lack of the risk of HIV transmission after blood exposure accident, and ignorance of the existence of a law on the protection of PLWHA; and fear of being contaminated. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the DA of dental surgeons with regard to PLWHIV in Côte d’Ivoire are mainly the result of poor knowledge of the disease.

Factors associated with the use of maternal health services by mothers in a post-conflict area of western Côte d'Ivoire in 2016.

BACKGROUND: In Côte d'Ivoire, maternal health service utilization indicators remain low despite improvements in health coverage and the availability of free health care for pregnant women. The objective of the study was to identify the determinants associated with the use of maternal health services in the department of Bloléquin, in western Côte d'Ivoire. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study with an analytical focus. The study sample size was 400 women. Study participants were selected through a two-stage cluster survey. The data were collected using a standardized questionnaire whose items concerned socio-demographic data, the different uses of maternal health services, namely childbirth assisted by a health professional, use of family planning, prenatal consultation and postnatal consultation. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with the use of maternal health services. The significance of the statistical tests was set at 5%. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated and interpreted. RESULTS: The results showed that women made less use of family planning services (OR = 0.4), prenatal consultation (OR = 0.2) and assisted childbirth (OR = 0.2) when they provided the funding for care themselves. Women with monthly incomes above $26.8 used family planning services 4 times more than those with lower incomes. Married women used prenatal consultations 3 times more often than unmarried women (CI95% = 1.4-7.3). Desiring pregnancy increased the use of post-natal consultations by 3 times (CI95% = 1.5-6.1). CONCLUSION: Improving the use of maternal health services in western Côte d'Ivoire requires taking into account women's socio-cultural and economic challenges. In initiatives related to the financial empowerment of women, efforts must be made at the level of emotional considerations related to pregnancy.

[Evaluation of the operational capacity of first-line health facilities in the management of malaria in Ivory Coast]. / Evaluation de la capacité opérationnelle des établissements sanitaires de première ligne dans la prise en charge du paludisme en Côte d'Ivoire.

INTRODUCTION: Do health facilities (HF) have basic resources needed to manage malaria? The purpose of our study was to analyze the operational capacity (OC) of first-line health facilities in Ivory Coast in the management of malaria. METHODS: SARA methodology was used to conduct a descriptive cross-sectional study from 10 to 30 July 2016. The operational capacity in the management showed an average availability of 9 identification tracers divided in 3 areas: (i) staff and guidelines; (ii) capacity of diagnosis; (iii) drugs and products. This operational capacity was assessed through the calculation of an index and then compared with the health facilities according to the management authority and the geographical area using Chi-square test with p-values α fixed at 0.05. RESULTS: Out of 818 HFs, 651(79.6%) were in the public sector and 487(59.5%) were located in the rural area. The operational capacity of first line health facilities was 74.5%. This OC was higher in the public sector (81.3%) than in the private sector (48.8%) (p < 10-3) as well as in the rural area (82.7%) compared to the urban area (62.9%) (p < 10-3). CONCLUSION: In 2016, first line health facilities in Ivory Coast had basic resources needed to manage malaria. It is necessary to focus on the need to strengthen health facility services in addition to prevention.

Oral epidemiological profile of patients attending public oral health services in Haut Sassandra region, in Côte d'Ivoire.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the type of care that can be achieved and the epidemiological profile of patients attending the 3 public dental practices in the Haut-Sassandra region, in Côte d'Ivoire. The data collection concerned socio-demographic characteristics, reason for consultation, oral hygiene, dental condition, malocclusions and the availability of equipment for the performance of procedures. The 400 patients observed (51.5% male) were aged 16.0 to 86.0 years (mean=35.5 years; SD=13.1 years). The main reasons for consultation were pain (91.5%) and aesthetics (23.5%). Oral hygiene was insufficient for 36.8% of subjects. Oral conditions were malocclusions (12.8%), caries (98.7%) and edentulous (65.7%) with only 11.8% with prosthesis. The average DMFT index was 9.3. Only extractions and resin attached prostheses were possible in all 3 health facilities. Preventive dentistry (sealent, fluoridation), dentofacial orthopedics and implantology were not available in any dental practice. The most frequently performed acts were extractions (74.5%). The results of this study highlight the need for oral health planning with service equipment and awareness among populations who shouldn't wait until they are in pain to consult.

Connaissances et pratiques en hygiène hospitalière des personnels du centre de consultations et de traitements odontostomatologiques du CHU de Cocody d'Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)

En chirurgie dentaire, les personnels de santé et les patients sont exposés à certains risques d'infection en absence de mesures d'hygiène appropriées. Ainsi, la présente étude avait pour objectif d'évaluer les connaissances et pratiques des personnels du Centre de Consultations et de Traitements Odonto-Stomatologiques (CCTOS) en matière d'hygiène. L'étude de type transversal a concerné les personnels de soins du CCTOS. Les informations collectées à l'aide d'un questionnaire ont porté différents paramètres en rapport avec l'hygiène en milieu de soins. Les résultats ont montré que les personnels de santé avaient une connaissance insuffisante des produits d'hygiène et méthodes de désinfection. Moins du 1/3 de l'ensemble des personnels a déclaré porter des lunettes de protection lors des soins. Ces résultants commandent l'engagement de tous dans la démarche qualité afin de garantir la sécurité des personnels soignant et des patients