Title: Quality of life and its associated factors among women diagnosed with pelvic organ
prolapse in Gynecology outpatient department Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples
region public referral hospitals, Ethiopia
Version: 3 Date: 12 May 2023
Reviewer's report:
Quality of life and its associated factors among women diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse in
Gynecology outpatient department Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region public
referral hospitals, Ethiopia
• The topic is interesting
Abstract
Background:
In this sentence …. Therefore, this study amid to assess the magnitude of quality of life and its
associated factors among women diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse in Gynecology outpatient
departments in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region public referral hospitals;
Ethiopia… the term magnitude of quality of life is not apparent. Is it to mean the magnitude of
quality of life is compromised?
Conclusion:
• This lacks focus (the recommendation)
Background
• Good to keep the flow/order of the background as the definition of pop, the magnitude of POP,
Risk factors, consequences of POP including the compromise in QoL, what are tools to measure
QoL, then the gaps in why this research is needed or statement of the problem.
• But in its current form it is a bit confusing as there are mixes of the above point in different
paragraphs.
Compared to other gynecologic symptoms, pelvic organ prolapse mostly affects the HRQoL of
women(6).
• Abbreviation should be written in full terms when introduced first in a sentence.
Methods
Study area and period
• Is it not too much for only three Hospitals? What are the names of these hospitals? This is
necessary to check for previous evidence.
Stages of prolapse
• Which staging system has been used by the three hospitals? POP-Q is the recommended one
• What is the level of the health profession that made the diagnosis? This might have contributed
to the high case report of POP in this case.
Data collection tool and procedure
• What are the eligibility criteria? Which stages of POP were included?
Result
Socio-demographic characteristics
A total of 409 women were enrolled in the study, giving a 97.6% response rate. The age range of
the participants is 36 to 72 years with a median of 54 years. Most of the respondents 220(53.8%)
were married. Additionally, regarding educational status, 204 (49.87%) were non-educated
(Table 1).
• Doubt? How is it possible to get these many POP cases within 2 months in only three Hospitals?
• What is the level of training of the care provider that makes the diagnosis of POP at the
hospitals? No such report of POP so far from that region or Ethiopia.
• Computing QoL compromise by stage will be useful.
Discussion
• It needs more refinement. The flow of the write-up and grammar should be checked and
corrected.
• The discussion better follows the logical presentation of the differences and similarities of the
studies considering the evidence in each article than speculation.
Conclusion
• More refinement is needed on the recommendation. The recommendation seems blurred and
not focused. Necessary to differentiate why they are late to seek treatment; lack of awareness
or economic or delay in receiving treatment at the facility level. It is after these that focused
recommendations can be forwarded.
References
• Check the references, some are not standard.