Complete Hepatitis B Vaccination Among Health Care Professionals in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Primary Evidence.

BACKGROUND: Despite the critical importance of HBV vaccination and Ethiopia's high burden of infection, no recent comprehensive review has synthesized data on vaccination coverage and its associated factors among Ethiopian healthcare workers. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of complete Hepatitis B Virus vaccination coverage among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia. METHODS: We searched primary articles across several databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, African Journals Online, and the Global Health database. Article screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. We thoroughly assessed heterogeneity and publication bias, and performed subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and trim-and-fill analysis. The pooled estimate for full vaccination coverage among healthcare professionals was calculated using a random-effects model with a 95% CI. RESULTS: Following a rigorous selection process, 18 primary articles involving a total of 6,167 participants were included in the final analysis. The pooled prevalence of complete vaccination against the Hepatitis B virus was found to be 29.90% (95% CI: 21.53-38.26), with considerable heterogeneity observed across the included studies (I2 = 98.6%). CONCLUSION: The pooled prevalence of complete Hepatitis B virus vaccination among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia remains suboptimal. Initiatives focused on encouraging vaccination, empowering healthcare workers with knowledge, and ensuring the vaccine is accessible and provided free of charge are recommended.