University of Goma

Patient safety in operating rooms has globally improved through interventions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist and multidisciplinary team training. However, while evidence from high-income countries is well documented, there remains limited consolidated knowledge on the understanding, application, and effectiveness of safety culture interventions in African surgical settings, which this review seeks to address. This systematic review examined factors and protocols affecting surgical safety in African operating rooms. We hypothesized that persistent systemic barriers undermine safety culture despite adoption of global measures. Following PRISMA 2020, we searched eight databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Africa-Wide, CINAHL, Global Health, Global Index Medicus, Web of Science) from inception to 5 December 2024, using variations of text words present in the title, abstract, or keyword fields, alongside relevant subject headings, to identify articles addressing surgical safety and culture throughout Africa. Included studies involved operating room professionals in African countries and used quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods designs. We excluded non-operating room settings, patient-only studies, inaccessible full texts, reviews, editorials, letters, conference abstracts, and duplicates. Two reviewers independently screened and appraised studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Findings were synthesized narratively with subgroup analysis by study type and theme. Out of 9,875 identified records, 22 studies from 12 African countries (2014–2024) met inclusion criteria, with Ethiopia contributing the highest number (n = 4). Various assessment tools, including the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire, and the National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anaesthesia Plans interview manual, revealed recurring challenges: inadequate non-punitive responses to errors, communication barriers, hierarchical structures, and resource constraints. Four interventions showed promise: implementation and training on the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, Safe Surgery 2020 initiatives, Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons training, and multidisciplinary training. The heterogeneity of study designs, sample sizes, and outcome measures limited direct comparisons and precluded meta-analysis. Nonetheless, the review highlights persistent barriers and emerging opportunities to strengthen patient safety culture in African operating rooms. While the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist remains valuable, sustainable progress requires multi-level strategies that address systemic constraints and incorporate context-sensitive adaptations. PROSPERO, CRD42024627076.

This study investigates the effects of inflation on food security in Africa and examines the moderating role of institutional quality. Using secondary panel data from 1995 to 2020 across 32 countries, the analysis employs various econometric techniques: Common Correlated Effects (CCE), Panel Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), and System Generalized Method of Moments (System-GMM). Robustness checks strengthen the validity of the results. Key variables include a constructed food security index, a global consumer price index, GDP per capita, fixed telephone subscriptions, domestic credit, population, employment, and six indicators of institutional quality. Findings reveal that inflation negatively affects food security, although the extent varies across models. Importantly, strong institutional quality reduces the harmful impact of inflation on food access. These results highlight the vulnerability of Africa’s food systems to price volatility and emphasize the importance of governance in ensuring food security. Policy recommendations include strengthening institutions, establishing a Pan-African Price Observatory, setting up regional food reserves, and deploying real-time price monitoring. Additional strategies such as subsidizing agricultural inputs, implementing taxes on high-income consumers, and targeting financial transfers to vulnerable households are essential for enhancing food resilience across the continent.

Rapid urban growth and increasing water demand in Bunia City, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, are placing growing pressure on groundwater resources, while surface water supply remains limited. In crystalline basement environments, groundwater occurrence is typically heterogeneous and strongly controlled by weathering processes and fracture networks. This study evaluates the groundwater potential of the western part of Bunia using the natural electromagnetic field (NEF) method implemented with the PQWT-M200 system. Eight geophysical profiles were acquired, producing two-dimensional geoelectrical sections with investigation depths reaching approximately 200 m. The results reveal a heterogeneous subsurface composed of multiple geoelectric units and highlight a three-tier hydrogeological system.: (i) a shallow weathered zone (0–30 m) with limited storage and high seasonal variability, (ii) an intermediate fractured and weathered zone (30–60, locally extending to 80 m) representing the most favorable groundwater targets, and (iii) a deep fractured system (> 180 m) with more uncertain hydrogeological significance. These systems are locally interconnected by subvertical fracture networks, forming a multi-level hydrogeological configuration. Conductive anomalies identified in the NEF data are interpreted as indicative of fractured or weathered zones potentially favorable for groundwater occurrence, although they may also reflect clay-rich materials. Among the investigated sections, profile 4 shows the most promising conditions for borehole siting. Overall, the NEF-PQWT approach proves to be a rapid and cost-effective tool for preliminary groundwater exploration in crystalline basement environments, but its results remain indicative and require validation through drilling and complementary hydrogeological investigations.

Children and adolescents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) frequently endure significant challenges and traumas that carry lasting implications for adult health. Decades of conflict in the DRC have left many women with childhood trauma, which often manifests as psychosocial problems during pregnancy. We investigated the associations between childhood traumas and the psychosocial experiences of pregnancy in adulthood. Cross-sectional data from a longitudinal cohort study of 98 pregnant adult women from the HEAL Africa Maternity Ward in Goma, DRC, were analyzed using bivariate and multiple logistic regression models. Four categories of childhood trauma (sexual abuse, childhood adversity, general trauma, war trauma) were tested for association with seven psychosocial pregnancy experiences (major stress, alcohol use, wanted pregnancy, physical abuse, emotional abuse, fear for life). Childhood sexual abuse was associated with higher odds for major stress, physical abuse, and emotional abuse during pregnancy in both regression models. In the bivariate regression model, only childhood adversity was associated with higher odds for major stress, general trauma was associated with higher odds for major stress, problems, and emotional abuse during pregnancy; war trauma was associated with higher odds for major stress and problems during pregnancy. These findings emphasize the profound impact of childhood trauma on psychosocial pregnancy experiences and highlight the critical implications for the care of pregnant women from high-conflict zones. A trauma-informed care approach, coupled with perinatal psychosocial support that considers DRC's social and political context, is recommended to improve psychosocial pregnancy experiences.

Diversifying psychology through including understudied populations is a well agreed upon goal within the field (Corrington et al., 2020). However, several challenges hinder progress towards achieving this goal. One major challenge is accessibility. Reaching understudied populations often requires testing participants in their communities. In our work with different populations in Africa, touch screen tablets are an excellent tool for enabling data collection in community settings. They work well with participants of all ages, including those with little to no exposure to technology or formal education. However, developing tablet-based cognitive tasks that function without internet connection typically requires knowledge of app development and programming skills beyond that available to many researchers. To fill this gap, we created ZolaBongo, a tablet-based application supporting tasks created in commonly used open-source experiment builders such as PsychoPy. We tested ZolaBongo with children (age 4+, N = 170) and adults (N = 178) at two sites, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in South Africa. Specifically, we tested a set of short cognitive tasks, measuring reasoning, executive function, and working memory. These tasks were chosen by our community of practice, The African Brain and Cognitive Development Network (AfriBCD). We show that collecting data on these tasks using ZolaBongo works. Our hope is that ZolaBongo will make it easier to translate, adapt, or create new measures, all necessary steps to facilitate research with diverse populations and contexts.