Healthcare providers’ preconception care knowledge and associated factors in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Agerie Mengistie zeleke ^1* Yeshiwas ayele ferede ² worku chechol tasew ³

• ¹ College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
• ² Department of General Midwifery, School of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
• ³ eHealthlab Ethiopia Research Center, University of Gondar, Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Introduction: Preconception care can play a critical role in reducing maternal and child mortality and morbidity. It is provided by knowledgeable healthcare providers, which is very important for reducing maternal and child mortality and morbidity. However, there are no detailed review articles available in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to ascertain the pooled knowledge of preconception care and related factors among Ethiopian healthcare providers.Methods: A variety of data sources, such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and African Journal Online, were used to identify studies. Only studies published between 2018 and 2022 were considered. A web search engine was used to search for relevant articles from January 1, 2023, to March 2, 2023. The data were extracted using Excel and analyzed with Stata 11 software. Pooled effect sizes were calculated based on the pooled prevalence of knowledge of preconception care and odds ratios for associated factors, with a 95% confidence interval indicating statistical significance. To evaluate statistical heterogeneity, the Cochrane Q test and I² statistic were used. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used for the quality appraisal.Results: Eight studies with 3848 healthcare providers were included. The pooled prevalence of a good knowledge of preconception care among healthcare providers in Ethiopia was 53.54 (95%CI:45.09–61.98), p< 0.0001. Healthcare providers who had a degree and above educational status (AOR=4.83;95%CI:1.80, 12.96), working at hospital health facilities (AOR=2.97;95%CI: 2.07, 4.27), ever reading preconception care guidelines (AOR=3.49;95%CI:2.39,,5.07), availability of libraries at health facilities (AOR=5.59;95% CI: 2.84,11.04), trained healthcare providers on HIV testing and counseling (AOR= 6.86; 95%CI: 3.75, 12.53), and trained healthcare providers on preconception care (AOR=6.19;95%CI: 4.23, 9.06) were factors of a good knowledge with preconception care.Conclusions: Nearly half of healthcare providers do not have good knowledge of preconception care in Ethiopia. Therefore, healthcare providers' knowledge of preconception care should be improved through training in preconception care, HIV testing, counseling, and access to guidelines, libraries, and the internet at nearby health facilities, especially at health centers. Finally, health-related stakeholders should collaborate with policymakers to develop strategies to improve healthcare providers’ knowledge of preconception care.Keywords: Knowledge; preconception care; healthcare providers; determinants; Ethiopia