ReviewInternational journal of MCH and AIDS2025
Partograph Utilization During Labor Monitoring in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in International journal of MCH and AIDS, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Primary cesarean section in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis using the Robson Ten-Group Classification System.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Assessment of partograph knowledge and associated factors among obstetric care providers in West Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.The Pan African medical journal · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Objective: Prolonged and obstructed labor is a leading cause of maternal death, preventable through effective and inexpensive health interventions such as the correct and systematic use of the partograph. The objective of this review was to determine the prevalence of partograph use in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We used the standard Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses checklist. Three online databases were used: PubMed, Google Scholar, and African Index Medicus. We included observational studies reporting the prevalence of partograph utilization, conducted in Sub-Saharan African countries, and published in English or French. Extracted data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and then exported to R version 4.3.3 for analysis. Results: Of the 1,159 records identified in this review, 41 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of partograph utilization was 51.17% (95% confidence interval: 43.05- 59.29). The study country and Sub-Saharan African region were sources of heterogeneity (p < 0.0001 for both), while the year of publication was not (p = 0.2385). The funnel plot and Egger's test (p = 0.7072) demonstrated the absence of potential publication bias. Conclusion and Global Health Implications: This study showed that the overall pooled prevalence of partograph use in Sub-Saharan African countries was low. Therefore, effective intervention strategies are strongly recommended to increase partograph utilization.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.