Understanding Socioeconomic Inequalities in Zero-Dose Children for Vaccination in Underserved Settings of Ethiopia: Decomposition Analysis Approach.

Despite considerable global efforts to enhance vaccine distribution in low-income countries, a significant number of children remain unvaccinated, particularly in Ethiopia. The underlying socioeconomic challenges in these regions are recognized as primary contributors to the low vaccination rates. However, the reasons for this persistent disparity in Ethiopia's remote and underserved regions need further analysis. The study employed a cross-sectional design and was conducted as part of the Project HOPE Zero-Dose Evaluation from 1 February to 31 July 2022. Concentration indices were utilized to quantify the extent of inequality, with further decomposition aimed at identifying contributing factors to this disparity. The findings underscored that populations with lower socioeconomic status encounter high numbers of children receiving no vaccinations. Key factors influencing the number of zero-dose children included distance from healthcare facilities (61.03%), economic status of the household (38.93%), absence of skilled birth assistance (20.36%), underutilization of antenatal care services (

High prevalence of zero-dose children in underserved and special setting populations in Ethiopia using a generalize estimating equation and concentration index analysis.

BACKGROUND: Globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 report, more than 14.3 million children in low- and middle-income countries, primarily in Africa and South-East Asia, are not receiving any vaccinations. Ethiopia is one of the top ten countries contributing to the global number of zero-dose children. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of zero-dose children and associated factors in underserved populations of Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional vaccine coverage survey was conducted in June 2022. The study participants were mothers of children aged 12-35 months. Data were collected using the CommCare application system and later analysed using Stata version 17. Vaccination coverage was estimated using a weighted analysis approach. A generalized estimating equation model was fitted to determine the predictors of zero-dose children. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and a p-value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of zero-dose children in the study settings was 33.7% (95% CI: 34.9%, 75.7%). Developing and pastoralist regions, internally displaced peoples, newly formed regions, and conflict-affected areas had the highest prevalence of zero-dose children. Wealth index (poorest [AOR = 2.78; 95% CI: 1.70, 4.53], poorer [AOR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.02, 3.77]), single marital status [AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.7, 3.3], and maternal age (15-24 years) [AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.3] were identified as key determinant factors of zero-dose children in the study settings. Additional factors included fewer than four Antenatal care visits (ANC) [AOR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.4], not receiving Postnatal Care (PNC) services [AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.5, 3.0], unavailability of health facilities within the village [AOR = 3.7; 95% CI: 2.6, 5.4], women-headed household [AOR = 1.3; 95% CI:1.02, 1.7], low gender empowerment [AOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3, 2.1], and medium gender empowerment [AOR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.5]. CONCLUSION: In the study settings, the prevalence of zero-dose children is very high. Poor economic status, disempowerment of women, being unmarried, young maternal age, and underutilizing antenatal or post-natal services are the important predictors. Therefore, it is recommended to target tailored integrated and context-specific service delivery approach. Moreover, extend immunization sessions opening hours during the evening/weekend in the city administrations to meet parents' needs.

In-depth reasons for the high proportion of zero-dose children in underserved populations of Ethiopia: Results from a qualitative study.

Increasing attention is being given to reach children who fail to receive routine vaccinations, commonly designated as zero-dose children. A comprehensive understanding of the supply- and demand-side barriers is essential to inform zero-dose strategies in high-burden countries and achieve global immunization goals. This qualitative study aimed to identify the barriers for reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children and what and explore gender affects access to vaccination services for children in Ethiopia. Data was collected between March-June 2022 using key informant interviews and focus group discussions with participants in underserved settings. The high proportion of zero-dose children was correlated with inadequate information being provided by health workers, irregularities in service provision, suboptimal staff motivation, high staff turnover, closure and inaccessibility of health facilities, lack of functional health posts, service provision limited to selected days or hours, and gender norms viewing females as responsible for childcare. Demand-side barriers included religious beliefs, cultural norms, fear of vaccine side effects, and lack of awareness and sustained interventions. Recommendations to increase vaccination coverage include strengthening health systems such as services integration, human resources capacity building, increasing incentives for health staff, integrating vaccination services, bolstering the EPI budget especially from the government side, and supporting reliable outreach and static immunization services. Additionally, immunization policy should be revised to include gender considerations including male engagement strategies to improve uptake of immunization services.

Dietary practice and nutritional status and the respective effect of pulses-based nutrition education among adolescent girls in Northwest Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: Thinness and stunting are the most severe public health problems among adolescent girls in Ethiopia. An inadequate intake of protein-source foods is the most critical cause, mainly due to the non-affordability of animal-origin foods. However, research into what extent improving pulses-based food consumption could contribute to decreasing the magnitude of protein-energy undernutrition is limited. Objective: This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pulses-based nutrition education in reducing the proportion of thinness among adolescent girls. Methods: A two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among adolescent girls in Northwest Ethiopia from December 2021 to June 2022. A total of 602 adolescent girls from four schools were enrolled in the trial. Schools were assigned to intervention and control groups using the stratified cluster randomization method. Pulses-based nutrition education was the intervention, whereas the usual dietary practice of adolescent girls was the comparator. The education was delivered over 4 weeks on a 45-60-min session per week basis. Thinness was the primary outcome of the trial, measured by anthropometry. An intention-to-treat analysis method was used. A log-binomial regression model was fitted to the data. Relative risk with the respective confidence interval and value of p was calculated. A value of p < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Stata 16 software was used for the analysis. Results: About 89.37% of the participants in the intervention group and 92.36% in the control group completed the trial. The pulses-based nutrition education intervention did not show a significant difference in reducing the proportion of thinness among the participants in the intervention group compared to the participants in the control group even though a significant difference was observed in terms of the consumption of pulses-based food. Conclusion: The present trial was statistically non-significant in reducing thinness among adolescent girls. Similar studies that utilize objective methods for ascertaining pulses-based food consumption need to be conducted.Clinical trial registration: https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/Search.aspx, the trial was registered in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR202111605102515) on November 12, 2021.

Evaluation of effectiveness of school-based nutrition education in improving the consumption of pulses-based food among female adolescents in Northwest Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Protein undernutrition is a prevalent health problem in Ethiopia severely affecting the reproductive outcome of women. This is mainly because of inadequate consumption of protein due to the high cost of animal-origin food and the lack of knowledge about the benefits and the methods of preparation of pulses-based foods. Therefore, this trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition education in improving the consumption of pulses-based foods among female adolescents. METHODS: A two-arm pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among female adolescents in Northwest Ethiopia. Clusters were schools assigned into intervention and control groups by cluster randomization. The trial participants were female adolescents. The intervention was pulses-based nutrition education, and the comparator was the usual dietary practice of adolescent girls. The education was delivered over four weeks on a 45-60 min session per week basis. The primary outcome of the intervention was pulses-based food consumption, and the secondary outcomes were knowledge and attitude about pulses food. Data on the outcome and the confounding variables were collected at baseline and end-line of the intervention. The analysis was based on intention-to-treat analysis, and a log-binomial logistic regression model was fitted to the data to calculate relative risk with the corresponding p value adjusted for baseline characteristics. The intervention was considered effective when the p value was < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 269 intervention and 278 control participants from the four clusters completed the trial making response rates of 92.1% and 95.2%, respectively. The pulses-based nutrition education enabled participants in the intervention group to maintain their pulses-based food consumption state, while participants in the control group significantly reduced their consumption by about threefold [ARR; 95% CI 2.99 (1.87, 4.79)] from harvesting to non-harvesting season. The consumption of pulses-based food was higher by 16% among the intervention participants as compared to the control participants [ARD; 95% CI 0.16 (0.10, 0.21)]. CONCLUSION: Pulses-based nutrition education is effective in improving the consumption of pulses-based food among female adolescents. Therefore, policies and strategies are required to integrate this intervention in the school nutrition program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR202111813445259) on 02 November 2021.

Determinants of postpartum uterine atony in urban South Ethiopia: a community-based unmatched nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Uterine atony is the most common cause of postpartum hemorrhage, which is the leading preventable cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Despite several interventions uterine atony-related postpartum hemorrhage remains a global challenge. Identifying risk factors of uterine atony helps to reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage and subsequent maternal death. However, evidence about risk factors of uterine atony is limited in the study areas to suggest interventions. This study aimed to assess determinants of postpartum uterine atony in urban South Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based unmatched nested case-control study was conducted from a cohort of 2548 pregnant women who were followed-up until delivery. All women with postpartum uterine atony (n = 93) were taken as cases. Women who were randomly selected from those without postpartum uterine atony (n = 372) were taken as controls. Using a case to control ratio of 1:4, the total sample size was 465. An unconditional logistic regression analysis was done using R version 4.2.2 software. In the binary unconditional logistic regression model variables that have shown association at p < 0.20 were recruited for multivariable model adjustment. In the multivariable unconditional logistic regression model, statistically significant association was declared using 95% CI and p < 0.05. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) used to measure the strength of association. Attributable fraction (AF) and population attributable fraction (PAF) were used to interpret the public health impacts of the determinants of uterine atony. RESULTS: In this study, short inter-pregnancy interval < 24 months (AOR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.26, 3.61), prolonged labor (AOR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.15, 4.83), and multiple birth (AOR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.25, 9.56) were determinants of postpartum uterine atony. The findings suggest that 38%, 14%, and 6% of uterine atony in the study population was attributed to short inter-pregnancy interval, prolonged labor, and multiple birth, respectively, which could be prevented if those factors did not exist in the study population. CONCLUSIONS: Postpartum uterine atony was related to mostly modifiable conditions that could be improved by increasing the utilization of maternal health services such as modern contraceptive methods, antenatal care and skilled birth attendance in the community.

Duration of inter-pregnancy interval and its predictors among pregnant women in urban South Ethiopia: Cox gamma shared frailty modeling.

BACKGROUND: Short inter-pregnancy interval is a public health concern because it results in adverse perinatal outcomes such as postpartum hemorrhage, anemia, premature birth, low birth weight, and perinatal deaths. Although it is critical to understand the factors that contribute to short inter-pregnancy interval to reduce the risk of these negative outcomes, adequate evidence about the factors in the urban context is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to assess the duration of the inter-pregnancy interval and its predictors among pregnant women in urban South Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted among 2171 pregnant women in five geographically diverse urban settings in South Ethiopia. For the analysis, a Cox gamma shared frailty (random-effect) model was used. Adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) with a 95% CI was used to assess significant predictors. The median hazard ratio (MHR) used to report clustering effect. RESULTS: The median duration of the inter-pregnancy interval was 22 months, 95% CI (21, 23), with an inter-quartile range of 14 months. Maternal age ≥30 years [AHR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.97], having no formal education [AHR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.78], contraceptive non-use [AHR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.94, 2.66], breastfeeding for <24 months [AHR = 4.92, 95% CI: 3.95, 6.12], death of recent child [AHR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.41, 5.97], plan pregnancy within 24 months [AHR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.35], lack of discussion with husband [AHR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.60] and lack of husband encouragement about pregnancy spacing [AHR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.48] were predictors of short inter-pregnancy interval. Adjusting for predictors, the median increase in the hazard of short inter-pregnancy interval in a cluster with higher short inter-pregnancy interval is 30% [MHR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.43] than lower cluster. CONCLUSIONS: In the study settings, the duration of the inter-pregnancy interval was shorter than the World Health Organization recommendation. There is a need to improve contraceptive use and breastfeeding duration to maximize the inter-pregnancy interval. Men's involvement in reproductive health services and advocacy for women's reproductive decision-making autonomy are fundamental. The contextual disparities in the inter-pregnancy interval suggests further study and interventions.

Association of primary postpartum hemorrhage with inter-pregnancy interval in urban South Ethiopia: A matched nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Globally, postpartum hemorrhage is the leading preventable cause of maternal mortality. To decrease postpartum hemorrhage-related maternal mortalities, identifying its risk factors is crucial to suggest interventions. In this regard, little is known about the link between primary postpartum hemorrhage and inter-pregnancy interval in Ethiopia, where more than half of pregnancies occur shortly after the preceding childbirth. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the association of primary postpartum hemorrhage with an inter-pregnancy interval in urban South Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based matched nested case-control study was conducted among a cohort of 2548 pregnant women. All women with primary postpartum hemorrhage during the follow-up (n = 73) were taken as cases. Women who were randomly selected from those without primary postpartum hemorrhage (n = 292) were taken as controls. Cases were individually matched with controls (1:4 ratio) for age group and location. A conditional logistic regression analysis was done using R version 4.0.5 software. Statistically, a significant association was declared using 95% CI and p-value. Attributable fraction (AF) and population attributable fraction (PAF) were used to estimate the public health impacts of the inter-pregnancy interval. RESULTS: This study found out that more than half (66%) of primary postpartum hemorrhage was attributed to inter-pregnancy interval <24 months (AF = 66.3%, 95% CI: 37.5, 82.5%). This could be prevented if the inter-pregnancy interval was increased to 24-60 months. Likewise, nearly half (49%) of primary postpartum hemorrhage in the study population could be prevented if the inter-pregnancy interval <24 months was prevented. Additionally, primary postpartum hemorrhage was attributed to antepartum hemorrhage, prolonged labour and multiple pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: Primary postpartum hemorrhage was associated with inter-pregnancy interval under 24 months, highlighting the need to improve postpartum modern contraceptive utilization in the community. Counseling couples about how long to wait until subsequent pregnancy and the risk when the inter-pregnancy interval is short need to be underlined.

Effects of inter-pregnancy intervals on preterm birth, low birth weight and perinatal deaths in urban South Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth, low birth weight and perinatal deaths are common adverse perinatal outcomes that are linked with each other, and a public health problems contributing to neonatal mortality, especially in developing countries. Although more than half of women in Ethiopia become pregnant within a short interval after the preceding childbirth, whether the short intervals increase the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes or not is understudied. We, therefore, aimed to assess the effects of inter-pregnancy intervals (IPIs) on the adverse perinatal outcomes. METHODS: A community-based prospective cohort study was conducted among 2578 pregnant women in urban South Ethiopia. Pregnant women with IPIs < 24 months (IPIs < 18 and 18-23 months) were exposed groups, and those with IPI 24-60 months were the unexposed group. A multilevel analysis (mixed-effects) was done to estimate the effect of IPIs on preterm birth and low birth weight, and a generalized linear model for a binary outcome (fixed-effect) was done for perinatal deaths, using a 95% confidence level. RESULTS: In this study, IPI < 18 months found to increase the risk of preterm birth (Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR) = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.78), term low birth weight (ARR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.35, 3.58) and perinatal deaths (ARR = 3.83, 95% CI: 1.90, 7.71) than 24-60 months. The results suggest that, about 9% of preterm birth, 21% of term low birth weight and 41% of perinatal deaths in the study population were attributed to IPI < 18 months. These could be prevented with the removal of the IPI < 18 months in the study population. IPI 18-23 months has shown no effect on the three adverse perinatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that, IPI under 18 months has a higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes than IPI 24-60 months. Due attention should still be given for spacing pregnancies.

Mothers experience on neonatal danger signs and associated factors in northwest Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study.

Introduction: even though there is a significant decline in neonatal mortality globally, it remained unacceptably high in Ethiopia. The estimated experience of neonatal danger signs affects the outcome more than the perceived knowledge. The main aim of this study was to estimate the experience of mothers on neonatal danger signs and its associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 6-16, 2019. All the women who have delivered live birth in the past six months in three districts of Northwest Ethiopia were the source populations. A total of 2424 mothers were selected using two-stage stratified cluster random sampling technique. A pretested and semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from eligible mothers. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify independent factors that affected mother´s experiences about neonatal danger signs at a p-value of 5%. Results: in this study, 2335 (96.3%) mothers completed the interview and 1509 (64.6%) of them have mentioned at least one danger sign. However, only 160 (11.0%) mothers have experienced danger signs in their babies. Of these, about 54 (49.1%) mothers have noticed within 24 hours of delivery and 37 (33.6%) have noticed after 48 hours of delivery. Fifty (45.5%) mothers have noticed the danger signs at home after birth, and 48 (43.6%) have noticed during birth. The frequently reported danger signs were; baby feels hot 106 (66.3%), fast breathing 67(41.9%), and difficulty of breathing 61(38.1%). Mothers who are living in urban, AOR=1.8(95%CI: 1.04,3.0), having multiple pregnancy, AOR=9.8 (95%CI: 2.3,42.0), absence of obstetric danger signs or complication, AOR=0.4 (95%CI: 0.2,0.6), post-term gestational age, AOR=6.5 (95%CI: 2.1,19.5), preterm gestational age, AOR=3.3 (95%CI: 0.8,13.4), assessment by hospital staff during delivery, AOR=2.1 (95% CI: 1.01,4.3), and poor mothers knowledge on neonatal danger signs, AOR=0.7 (95% CI: 0.5,0.9) were the predictors of mothers experience on neonatal danger signs. Conclusion: even though the knowledge of mothers on neonatal danger signs is high, the practice or experience in using their knowledge is very low. We recommend an implementation study to be conducted to bridge this "know-do" gap.

Incidence of preterm premature rupture of membranes and its association with inter-pregnancy interval: a prospective cohort study.

Preterm premature rupture of membranes is one of the causes of premature birth and perinatal deaths, particularly in developing countries due to poor access and availability of medical resources to manage and sustain the pregnancy to term. Although, several risk factors for preterm premature rupture of membranes were identified, its association with inter-pregnancy interval was understudied. Therefore, we aimed to assess the incidence of preterm premature rupture of membranes and its association with inter-pregnancy interval in urban South Ethiopia. A community-based prospective cohort study was conducted among 2578 pregnant women, and followed until delivery. A generalized linear model for binary outcome was applied for the analysis, using a 95% confidence level and P-value. The incidence of preterm premature rupture of membranes was 2%, 95% CI: 2%, 3%. However, the incidence was varied across the months of inter-pregnancy intervals 4% (< 18 months), 2% (18-23 months) and 1% (24-60 months). The risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes was nearly three times (ARR = 2.59, 95%CI: 1.27, 5.29) higher for women with inter-pregnancy intervals < 18 months than 24-60 months. Inter-pregnancy interval under 18 months increases the risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes, highlighting the need to improve pregnancy spacing in the community.

Health postservice readiness and use of preventive and curative services for suspected childhood pneumonia in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Pneumonia is the single-leading cause of infectious disease deaths in children under-5. Despite this challenge, the utilisation of preventive and curative child health services remains low in Ethiopia. We investigated the association between health post service readiness and caregivers' awareness of pneumonia services, care-seeking and utilisation of pneumonia-relevant immunisation in four Ethiopian regions. DESIGN AND SETTING: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 52 districts of four regions of Ethiopia from December 2018 to February 2019. The health posts preparedness for sick child care was assessed using the WHO Health Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool. Multilevel analyses were employed to examine the associations between health post readiness and household-level awareness and utilisation of services. PARTICIPANTS: We included 165 health posts, 274 health extension workers (community health workers) and 4729 caregivers with 5787 children 2-59 months. OUTCOME MEASURES: Awareness of pneumonia treatment, care-seeking behaviour and coverage of pentavalent-3 immunisation. RESULTS: Only 62.8% of health posts were ready to provide sick child care services. One-quarter of caregivers were aware of pneumonia services, and 56.8% sought an appropriate care provider for suspected pneumonia. Nearly half (49.3%) of children (12-23 months) had received pentavalent-3 immunisation. General health post readiness was not associated with caregivers' awareness of pneumonia treatment (adjusted OR, AOR 0.9, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.1) and utilisation of pentavalent-3 immunisation (AOR=1.2, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.6), but negatively associated with care-seeking for childhood illnesses (AOR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.8). CONCLUSION: We found no association between facility readiness and awareness or utilisation of child health services. There were significant deficiencies in health post preparedness for services. Caregivers had low awareness and utilisation of pneumonia-related services. The results underline the importance of enhancing facility preparedness, providing high-quality care and intensifying demand generation efforts to prevent and treat pneumonia.

Insufficient Supply, Diagnostic Services, and Lack of Trained Personnel in Primary Hospitals in North-West Ethiopia Worsened Trauma Care: A Mixed-Method Study.

OBJECTIVE: Although there has been a massive expansion of hospitals in Ethiopia in the last 2 decades, most are primary-level hospitals. Assessing the capability of the hospitals in managing trauma victims is essential to strengthening the hospitals. METHODS: We employed a mixed-method approach using quantitative descriptive design triangulated with qualitative research. We audited 10 hospitals using WHO essential trauma care checklist. We interviewed 37 health care professionals, 9 hospital managers, and 12 decision-makers using a semi-structured interview guide. We used the COREQ checklist to report the qualitative finding. RESULTS: The physical structures of the hospitals were good in all cases. Airway, breathing and circulation management were partially available, with a score ranging from 0 - 3. The extent of injury, lack of radiology service, and scarcity of drugs and supplies were common causes for the referral of trauma victims to Gondar University hospital. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Unavailability of drugs and supplies, lack of diagnostic services, inability to recruit specialist professionals, lack of training, and inconvenient working and living environment were stated as the main barriers to providing trauma care. In the study area, the gaps in trauma care in the primary hospitals can be improved by further commitment of the hospitals, the district, zonal administrators, and the regional health bureau.

Barriers and opportunities of establishing an integrated prehospital emergency response system in North West Ethiopia: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Prehospital emergency care helps to reduce mortality and morbidity from time-sensitive conditions. In this study, we summarised the perspectives of various stakeholders on the establishment of a prehospital integrated emergency response system. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using a key informant interview. We used a purposive sampling technique to select participants from the sector offices based on their proximity to the problem under consideration. We took verbal informed consent from each participant before the interviews. We conducted a thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-three study participants, working at six sector offices (the zonal health office, University of Gondar, traffic office, fire extinguisher office, the Amhara regional health bureau and the Ethiopian red cross association), were included in this study. Five major themes have emerged. The themes that emerged include participants' views on the importance of prehospital service, barriers and opportunities for establishing the system, and how to start and sustain the system. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Lack of resources is not the main reason for the lack of prehospital emergency care in the study area rather; lack of commitment, ownership and high turnover of decision-makers were the main reasons for the absence of prehospital care, as viewed by respondents. On the other side, the availability of professionals, training institutions and the fact that emergency care is a shared agenda by different stakeholders were stated as an opportunity to establish the system. With the growing number of injuries and non-communicable diseases, emergency management should get due attention.

Patient-Centered Care and Associated Factors among Adult Admitted Patients in South Wollo Public Hospitals, Northeast Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The US Institute of Medicine's "quality chasm" report defined patient-centered care as care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions. Services that lack patient-centered care lead to unimproved health status, decreased patient and family satisfaction, and poor patient outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess patient-centered care and associated factors among admitted patients in South Wollo public hospitals in northeast Ethiopia. METHODS: This was a facility-based quantitative cross-sectional study design supplemented with qualitative analysis conducted from February 10 to March 10, 2020 across South Wollo public hospitals. A total of 618 admitted patients were selected using multistage systematic random sampling and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Five health professionals were selected for in-depth interviews. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify associated variables, and potential confounders were controlled using a multivariate logistic regression model, and P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Overall, 60.9% (95% CI 57.1%-64.5%) of patients received patient-centered care. Age 25-35 years (AOR 0.39, 95% CI 0.32-0.64) years, rural residence (AOR 2.61, 95% CI 1.62-4.02), social well-being (AOR 2.34, 95% CI 1.45-3.78), perceived high quality of care (AOR 3.69, 95% CI 2.07-6.04), length of stay (AOR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02-0.79), and routine checkups (AOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.15-3.13) were variables significantly associated with patient-centered care. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that among admitted patients, three in five received patient-centered care. Age, residence, social well-being, length of stay, perceived quality of care, and routine checkups were significantly associated with patient-centered care. Therefore, working on provider improvements in providing consultation and facilitation and decreasing length of stay to improve patient-centered care is needed.

Individual and contextual factors affect the implementation fidelity of youth-friendly services, northwest Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis.

BACKGROUND: The evaluation of all potential determinants of implementation fidelity of Youth-Friendly Services (YFS) is crucial for Ethiopia. Previous studies overlooked investigating the determinants at different levels. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of implementation fidelity of YFS considering individual and contextual levels. METHODS: This study was conducted among 1,029 youths, from 11 health centers that are implementing the YFS in Central Gondar Zone. Data were collected by face to face interview and facility observation using a semi-structured questionnaire. A Bivariable multi-level mixed effect modelling was employed to assess the main determinants. Four separate models were fitted to reach the full model. The fitness of the model was assessed using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and level of significance was declared at p-values < 0.05. The results of fixed effects were presented as adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at their 95% CI. RESULTS: Four hundred one (39.0%) of the respondents got the YFS with high level of fidelity. Had high level of involvement in the YFS provision (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.57), knew any peer educator trained in YFS (AOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.36, 1.86), and involved as a peer educator (AOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.71), were the individual level determinants. Whereas, got capacity building training; (AOR = 1.93, 95% CI (1.12, 3.48), got supportive supervision, (AOR 2.85, 95% CI (1.99, 6.37), had a separate waiting room (AOR = 9.84, 95%CI: 2.14, 17.79), and system in place to provide continuous support to staff (AOR = 2.81, 95%CI: 1.25, 6.34) were the contextual level determinants. CONCLUSIONS: The level of implementation fidelity remains low. Both individual and contextual level determinants affect the implementation fidelity of YFS. Therefore, policy makers, planners, managers and YFS providers could consider both individual and contextual factors to improve the implementation fidelity.

Disability scores rate changes and predictors among road traffic injury victims admitted at Gondar specialized comprehensive hospital northwest Ethiopia: A prospective follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: Measuring the level of disability following trauma is a key step for secondary and tertiary level trauma prevention. It can give important evidence for decision-makers and program implementers on the need for establishing rehabilitation centers. METHODS: This is a longitudinal follow-up study on 235 road traffic injury survivors. Patients were followed for 12 months, and the outcome was ascertained using the brief WHODAS-II 12-item instrument at 1, 3, 6, and 12-months post-injury. The level of disability was divided into five groups from no disability to very severe based on their disability scores. Work status was assessed at each survey using a single question "are you back to work?" We employed a linear mixed model to identify disability scores changes over time and risk factors associated with disability. Statistically, a significant association was declared at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The overall mean disability score was 24.9 ± 11.3 at one month and 8.3 ± 6.4 after 12 months of injury. Disability score has decreased by 1.3 units over time during 12 months post-injury. Functional limitation persisted on 25-88% of participants at specific dimensions of disability at the end of the study. After a year of injury, 44% of participants didn't return to work. Injury severity score (ß = 0.47, p < 0.001, length of hospital stays (ß = 0.88, p < 0.005) and discharge against medical advice (ß = 2.18, p < 0.001) were found to be predictors of disability following road traffic injuries. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that, though there was a decrease in disability score over time, a significant number of participants were with some degree of limitation after one year of injury, and nearly half of them didn't return to work. Shortening of long waiting times and counseling services need to be considered by the hospital. Community-based Rehabilitation centers (CBR) should be expanded. Further study should be conducted to uncover the reasons for preferring traditional bone fixers over medical management.

The effect of inter-pregnancy interval on stillbirth in urban South Ethiopia: a community-based prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Stillbirth is an invisible and poorly understood adverse pregnancy outcome that remains a challenge in clinical practice in low-resource settings. It is also a key concern in Ethiopia where more than half of pregnancies occur shortly after preceding childbirth. Whether the interval between pregnancies has an effect on stillbirth or not is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effect of inter-pregnancy interval on stillbirth in urban South Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based prospective cohort study was conducted among 2578 pregnant women and followed until delivery. Baseline data were collected at the household level during registration and enrolment. End-line data were collected from hospitals during delivery. Exposed groups were pregnant women with inter-pregnancy intervals < 18 months and 18-23 months. Unexposed group contains women with inter-pregnancy intervals 24-60 months. A generalized linear model for binary outcome was applied, using R version 4.0.5 software. Relative risk (RR) was used to estimate the effect size with a 95% confidence level. Attributable fraction (AF) and population attributable fraction (PAF) were used to report the public health impact of exposure. RESULTS: The overall incidence of stillbirth was 15 per 1000 total births, (95% CI: 11, 20%). However, the incidence was varied across months of inter-pregnancy intervals; 30 (< 18 months), 8 (18-23 months) and 10 (24-60 months) per 1000 total births. The risk of stillbirth was nearly four times (ARR = 3.55, 95%CI: 1.64, 7.68) higher for women with inter-pregnancy interval < 18 months as compared to 24-60 months. This means, about 72% (AF = 72, 95%CI: 39, 87%) of stillbirth among the exposed group (inter-pregnancy interval < 18 months category) and 42% (PAF = 42, 95%CI: 23, 50%) of stillbirth in the study population were attributed to inter-pregnancy interval < 18 months. These could be prevented with an inter-pregnancy interval that is at least 18 months or longer. CONCLUSIONS: Inter-pregnancy interval under 18 months increases the risk of stillbirth in this population in urban South Ethiopia. Interventions targeting factors contributing to short inter-pregnancy intervals could help in reducing the risk of stillbirth. Improving contraceptive utilization in the community could be one of these interventions.

Do deaths from road traffic injuries follow a classical trimodal pattern in North West Ethiopia? A hospital-based prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify timing distribution and predictors of deaths following road traffic injuries among all age groups at Gondar Comprehensive specialised hospital. DESIGN: A single-centre prospective cohort study. SETTING: The study hospital is a tertiary hospital in North West Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: We enrolled 454 participants who sustained road traffic injuries in to the current study. All age groups and injury severity were included except those who arrived dead, had no attendant and when the injury time was unknown. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was time to death measured in hours from injury time up to the 30th day of the injuries. Secondary outcomes were prehospital first aid, length of hospital stay and hospital arrival time. The article has been registered, with a unique identification number of research registry 6556. RESULTS: A total of 454 victims were followed for 275 534 person hours. There were 80 deaths with an overall incidence of 2.90 deaths per 10 000 person hours of observation (95% CI 2.77 to 3.03). The significant predictors of time to death were being a driver (AHR=2.26; 95% CI 1.09 to 4.65, AR=14.8), accident at interurban roads ((AHR (Adjusted HAzard Ratio=1.98; 95% CI 1.02 to 3.82, AR (Attributable Risk)=21%)), time from injury to hospital arrival (AHR=0.41; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.63; AR=3%), systolic blood pressure on admission of <90 mm Hg (AHR=3.66; 95% CI 2.14 to 6.26; AR=57%), Glasgow Coma Scale of <8 (AHR=7.39; 95% CI 3.0819 to 17.74464; AR=75.7%), head injury with polytrauma (AHR=2.32 (1.12774 4.79; AR=37%) and interaction of distance from hospital with prehospital care. CONCLUSION: Though the maturation of trauma centres in many developed countries has changed the temporal pattern of deaths following any trauma, our study demonstrated that trauma deaths follow the traditional trimodal pattern. That implies that potentially preventable causes of death continued in low-resource countries.

Job Satisfaction and Associated Factors among Health Professionals Working at Public and Private Hospitals in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from evaluating one's job or job experiences. However, knowledge of workplace factors that either satisfy employees to keep working or dissatisfy them making them leave their jobs or working places is essential for decision-making. Thus, this study is aimed at assessing job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare professionals working at public and private hospitals in Bahir Dar city, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based comparative cross-sectional study design was conducted from 10 February 2020 to 29 May 2020. A total of 520 health professionals were selected from public and private health facilities using stratified systematic random sampling techniques. Data were collected using structured pretested self-administered questionnaires. A binary logistic regression model with Huber-White robust standard error was fitted to identify job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare professionals working at public and private hospitals. A less than 0.05 p value and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were considered to have a statistically significant association with the outcome variable. RESULTS: The overall magnitude of job satisfaction was 55.2% (95% CI: 51.0, 59.4%). At public and private hospitals, the provider's satisfaction was 29.0% (95% CI: 23.2, 35.1%) and 81.23% (95% CI: 76.6, 85.8%), respectively. Working at private hospital (AOR: 8.89; 95% CI: 5.14, 15.35), pleasant nature of work (AOR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.05, 3.15), autonomy (AOR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.29, 4.33), adequate supportive supervision (AOR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.33, 4.40), good reward and recognition (AOR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.37, 6.75), and high normative commitment (AOR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.48, 4.43) were factors affecting the overall job satisfaction of health professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of job satisfaction was relatively low in private and public hospital health professionals and severe among health professionals working in public hospitals. Healthcare policy-makers and hospital managers need to develop and institutionalize evidence-based satisfaction strategies considering the predictors of health professional's job satisfaction.