Effect of off-hours admission on in-hospital mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Tilahun Degu Tsega, Almaw Genet Yeshiwas, Tewodros Worku Bogale, Chalachew Yenew, Gashaw Melkie Bayeh, Ahmed Fentaw Ahmed, Meron Asmamaw Alemayehu, Abathun Temesgen, Wei Ma · 2026
Read Effect of off-hours admission on in-hospital mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Tilahun Degu Tsega, Almaw Genet Yeshiwas, Tewodros Worku Bogale, Chalachew Yenew, Gashaw Melkie Bayeh, Ahmed Fentaw Ahmed, Meron Asmamaw Alemayehu, Abathun Temesgen, Wei Ma (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13576359.txt.
Description
Tilahun Degu Tsega leads a 2026 systematic review of whether arriving at hospital outside normal hours raises the risk of dying there, across sub-Saharan Africa. Earlier studies disagreed, and no single summary existed. The team pooled studies found in six databases up to the end of 2025.
Fourteen studies were included. Death in hospital for off-hours admissions pooled at 12.39 percent overall. Night admissions showed 26.1 percent mortality and weekend admissions 31.5 percent in their pooled shares. Against weekday daytime care, weekend arrival raised the odds of death modestly, while night arrival more than doubled them. The authors urge caution in reading the pooled figures, since studies varied greatly and defined off-hours differently. They frame the pattern as a signal for staffing and cover reviews.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Tilahun Degu Tsega, Almaw Genet Yeshiwas, Tewodros Worku Bogale, Chalachew Yenew, Gashaw Melkie Bayeh, Ahmed Fentaw Ahmed, Meron Asmamaw Alemayehu, Abathun Temesgen, Wei Ma |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 54237 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |