Family planning integration in Ethiopia's primary health care system: a qualitative study on opportunities, challenges and best practices.

BACKGROUND: Family planning (FP) service integration into primary health care (PHC) is an effective approach to realize reproductive autonomy, increase the use of contraceptives, and improve maternal and child health outcomes. The Ethiopian government promotes integration of FP services into primary health care (PHC). However, there is paucity of evidence on the status of FP service integration. The aim of this study is to explore the state of FP integration into PHC services and identify facilitators and barriers to integration. METHODS: A qualitative study nested with a larger national study was conducted from July to October 2022. A total of 60 interviews were conducted with FP stakeholders including, government organizations, non-governmental organizations, donors, service providers, and clients. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using OpenCode 4.03. The coded data were analyzed using framework analysis approach, using the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) framework. Direct quotes and results from the coding and categorization were used to develop the report. RESULTS: Family planning is largely provided in designated units by dedicated staff within PHC facilities. The provision of integrated FP service within each service unit is in its early stage. Successful examples of integration include integration of FP with postnatal care, abortion care, and youth-friendly service centers. Facilitators of integration include commitment of the government and partners, the presence of policies and guidelines, and positive attitude of service providers and clients. However, integration of FP also faces challenges that are largely related to challenges of the FP program even before integration. These include resource shortage, health workers shortage, health workers' capacity/skill gaps, misconceptions about FP, religious and socio-cultural norms, and lack of awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of FP with PHC services in the Ethiopian public health facilities is viable. Pre-existing challenges of the FP program continued to be barriers to integration. Expanding the experiences of good practices in the integration of FP with post abortion care, post-natal care, and youth-friendly service centers to other components of PHC warrants attention. Addressing both supply- and demand-side challenges of the FP program is needed to facilitate the integration of FP with other PHC services.

This study aimed to explore the status of integrating family planning (FP) services into primary health care (PHC) in Ethiopia and identify the facilitators and barriers to integration. The study included 60 interviews with stakeholders, including government and non-government organizations, service providers, and clients. We found that while dedicated FP staff provide services in designated units within PHC facilities, the provision of integrated FP services within other PHC units is in its early stage. Integration with post-abortion care, post-natal care, and youth-friendly service centers showed exemplary results that need to be used as good practices. The study identified challenges including resource shortage, health worker shortage, misconceptions about FP, religious and socio-cultural norms, and lack of awareness. The positive attitude of service providers and the commitment of the government and partners were identified as facilitators of integration. The study recommends expanding the successful practices of FP integration to other components of PHC and addressing supply- and demand-side challenges to facilitate the integration of FP services with PHC.

Attrition of health extension workers in Ethiopia: trends, regional variations and determinants - a mixed methods study of 15 years of experience.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring regular supervision, capacity building and motivation are crucial for the successful retention of health extension workers (HEWs). Failure in these aspects could increase the attrition rate of HEWs. To date, there has not been a comprehensive nationwide study on HEW attrition that could act as a source of evidence for policy makers. This study explored HEW attrition, including leaving the health sector entirely and its regional variation, trends and predictors of attrition out of the health system. METHODS: This study explored the attrition of HEWs from the beginning of the program until the end of 2018. A district-based mixed method study was conducted to review the personnel files of HEWs. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 3,476 HEWs, and a probability weight was assigned for each observation. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the outcome and predictor variables. A logistic regression model was used to model attrition out of the health system. A qualitative study was conducted to understand the reasons why HEWs leave their jobs. Thematic analysis was performed using Nvivo version 12. RESULTS: The magnitude of attrition of HEWs was found to be 21.1% during the fifteen years of HEP implementation. Of the total 704 who left their job as an HEW, 530 (73%) left the health system altogether. Number of biological children [AOR = 0.61, 95% CI; 0.42-0.89], having an additional education [AOR = 8.34, 95% CI; 3.67-18.98], obtaining official recognition [AOR = 0.29, 95% CI; 0.10-0.83], administrative reprimand [AOR = 1.66, 95% CI; 1.07 -2. 56), distance between district health office and health post [AOR = 1.75, 95%CI; 1.18-2.59) and COC status [AOR = 2.06, 95%CI 1.39-3.06) were independent predictors of leaving the health sector. High regional variation in attrition was observed, ranging from 38.5% in Addis Ababa to just 6.1% in the Harari region. The trend of attrition has steadily increased over time, with a high of 1,999 attritions per 10,000 HEW in 2018. Psychosocial factors, administrative issues, career advancement incentives, and workplace-related problems were the themes that emerged from the qualitative study as reasons for attrition of HEWs. CONCLUSION: Even though the magnitude of attrition was relatively low, there was high regional variation and incremental trends. Moreover, the out-of-health sector attrition is also high. Critically examining the HEP policy environment to increase the number of HEWs deployed per health post to reduce workload and improving HEW incentives, including career development, may assist in increasing HEW job satisfaction, which in turn could help to reduce attrition, including leaving the health sector.

Structural, programmatic, and sociocultural intersectionality of gender influencing access-uptake of reproductive, maternal, and child health services in developing regions of Ethiopia: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Gender remains a critical social factor in reproductive, maternal, and child health and family planning (RMNCH/FP) care. However, its intersectionality with other social determinants of the RMNCH remains poorly documented. This study aimed to explore the influence of gender intersectionality on the access uptake of RMNCH/FP in Developing Regional States (DRS) in Ethiopia. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study to explore the intersectionality of gender with other social and structural factors and its influence on RMNCH/FP use in 20 selected districts in four DRS of Ethiopia. We conducted 20 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 32 in-depth and key informant interviews (IDIs/KIIs) among men and women of reproductive age who were purposively selected from communities and organizations in different settings. Audio-recorded data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. FINDINGS: Women in the DRS were responsible for the children and families' health care and information, and household chores, whereas men mainly engaged in income generation, decision making, and resource control. Women who were overburdened with household chores were not involved in decision-making, and resource control was less likely to incur transport expenses and use RMNCH/FP services. FP was less utilized than antenatal, child, and delivery services in the DRS,as it was mainly affected by the sociocultural, structural, and programmatic intersectionality of gender. The women-focused RMNCH/FP education initiatives that followed the deployment of female frontline health extension workers (HEWs) created a high demand for FP among women. Nonetheless, the unmet need for FP worsened as a result of the RMNCH/FP initiatives that strategically marginalized men, who often have resource control and decision-making virtues that emanate from the sociocultural, religious, and structural positions they assumed. CONCLUSIONS: Structural, sociocultural, religious, and programmatic intersectionality of gender shaped access to and use of RMNCH/FP services. Men's dominance in resource control and decision-making in sociocultural-religious affairs intersected with their poor engagement in health empowerment initiatives that mainly engaged women set the key barrier to RMNCH/FP uptake. Improved access to and uptake of RMNCH would best result from gender-responsive strategies established through a systemic understanding of intersectional gender inequalities and through increased participation of men in RMNCH programs in the DRS of Ethiopia.

Capacity of the Ethiopian primary health care system to achieve universal health coverage: a primary health care progression approach.

Comprehensive and globally comparable evidence about primary health care (PHC) capacity is needed to inform policies and decisions. We carried out a study to assess the Ethiopian PHC capacity in terms of governance, inputs, and population health and facility management domains. The PHC capacity of all the regions, city administrations and the Ministry of Health was assessed using the PHC progression model. The model has 33 measures categorized into three domains. Data were collected and synthesized from all relevant national and regional documents, datasets and key informants. A team of trained evaluation experts conducted external assessments at national and regional levels followed by an internal assessment and a validation workshop. All 33 measures were scored from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest). The inter-rater reliability test indicated that the overall agreement between internal and external scores was 65%. We found the highest consistency in the internal assessment with a score of 0.84. The findings of this study indicated that the governance domain score was 2.8 out of 4, showing varying scores in quality management, priority setting as well as innovation and learning. The inputs domain score was 2.3 for drugs, supplies and facility infrastructure. The score for the population health and facility management domain was 2. A comparison of federal and national average scores for all measures indicated no significant difference between the two (P-value = 0.69). There are relevant PHC policies and leadership structures at the federal and regional levels. However, the capacity to effectively implement these policies and strategies at sub-national levels is sub-optimal. The challenges related to major inputs coupled with data-quality problems reduced the capacity of the PHC system at the local level. Periodic assessment of the PHC system and closely working with subnational units will potentially improve the capacity of PHC in Ethiopia.

The impact of community-based health insurance on health service utilization and financial risk protection in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the effectiveness of community-based health insurance (CBHI) in low-income countries is inconclusive. This study assessed the impact of CBHI on health service utilization and financial risk protection in Ethiopia. METHODS: We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study nested within a larger national household survey in 2020. Data was collected from three groups of households-CBHI member households (n = 1586), non-member households from CBHI implementing woredas (n = 1863), and non-member households from non-CBHI implementing woredas (n = 789). Indicators of health service utilization, out-of-pocket health spending, catastrophic health expenditure, and impoverishment due to health spending among CBHI members were compared with non-members from CBHI implementing woredas and households from non-CBHI implementing woredas. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to account for possible selection bias. RESULTS: The annual number of OPD visits per capita among CBHI member households was 2.09, compared to 1.53 among non-member households from CBHI woredas and 1.75 among households from non-CBHI woredas. PSM estimates indicated that CBHI members had 0.36 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.44) and 0.17 (95% CI: -0.04, 0.19) more outpatient department (OPD) visits per capita per year than their matched non-member households from CBHI-implementing and non-CBHI implementing woredas, respectively. CBHI membership resulted in a 28-43% reduction in annual OOP payments as compared to non-member households. CBHI member households were significantly less likely to incur catastrophic health expenditures (measured as annual OOP payments of more than 10% of the household's total expenditure) compared to non-members (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: CBHI membership increases health service utilization and financial protection. CBHI proves to be an important strategy for promoting universal health coverage. Implementing CBHI in all woredas and increasing membership among households in woredas that are already implementing CBHI will further expand its benefits.

Relevance of the Health Extension Program to the current Health Needs and Evolving Demands of Rural Ethiopia: A Mixed-Method Analysis.

Background: Ethiopia has been implementing a health extension program (HEP) to respond to the high maternal and child mortality in rural communities. HEP has brought tremendous contributions to improved access and coverage of primary healthcare in the last 15 years. Despite its attributions, attention to HEP has declined in recent years due to several reasons. This study is designed to explore HEP's relevance to the current healthcare needs of the rural communities. Methods: This study is a nested cross-sectional mixed-method to the overall HEP's evaluation between March and May 2019. Descriptive statistics were used on qualitative and quantitative assessment. A literature review supplemented the assessment. A representative quantitative sample of 11,746 women, men, and young girls; a qualitative sample of 268 key informants from Kebele administrators, HEWs, program people in the health system and focus groups from community leaders, men and women from 185 Kebeles in 62 woredas were selected. A thematic approach was used for qualitative analysis. Results: Rural communities and program managers asserted that HEP's service packages with the existing service delivery modalities were relevant. Eighty-two percent of men and women and 77% of young girls confirmed this relevance. Besides the existing packages, additional curative services for adults and children were recommended with emphasis on the pastoralist community. HEP's service uptake has declined as over 86% of targeted rural communities bypassed HPs due to unavailability of services and capacity problems of HEWs. Conclusion: The current HEP packages with the existing service delivery modalities are still relevant to the rural communities' health needs. However, on-going changes to address the evolving demands of the targeted rural communities are crucial.

National Assessment of the Health Extension Program in Ethiopia: Study Protocol and Key Outputs.

Background: The Health Extension Program (HEP) was introduced in 2003 to extend primary health care services by institutionalizing the former volunteer-based village health services. However, this program is not comprehensively evaluated. Materials and Methods: The 2019 comprehensive national assessment of HEP involved (1) assessment through quantitative and qualitative primary data, (2) a thorough systematic review of the HEP literature, and (3) a synthesis of evidence from the two sources. The assessment included household survey(n=7122), a survey of health extension workers (HEWs) (n=584)_, and an assessment of health posts (HPs)(n=343) and their supervising health centers (HCs)(n=179) from 62 randomly selected woredas. As part of the comprehensive assessment. Output and Results: The outputs were (a) full and abridged reports, (b) 40 posters, (c) seven published, three under review scientific papers and (d) seven papers in this special issue. During the one-year period preceding the study, 54.8% of women, 32.1% of men, and 21.9% of female youths had at least a one-time interaction with HEWs. HPs and HEWs were universally available. There were critical gaps in the skills and motivation of HEWs and fulfillment of HP standards: 57.3% of HEWs were certified, average satisfaction score of HEWs was 48.6%, and 5.4% of HPs fulfilled equipment standards. Conclusions: The findings informed policy and program decisions of the Ministry of Health, including the design of the HEP Optimization Roadmap 2020-2035 and the development Health Sector Transformation Plan II. It is also shared with global community through published papers.

The Quality of Logistics Management Information System and the Availability of Tracer Drugs at Health Posts in Rural Ethiopia: A Mixed-Method Study.

Background: Proper implementation of the logistics management information system (LMIS) would facilitate access to essential pharmaceutical products. It also prevents wastage at health posts. The aim of this study was to assess the implementation of the LMIS and the availability of tracer drugs at health posts in rural Ethiopia. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional descriptive design with a mixed-method approach. The data used for this paper was collected from March to May 2019 as part of the National HEP assessment. The study involved 343 health posts randomly selected from nine regions of Ethiopia. Women's Development Army members and household heads participated in the qualitative study (i.e. in FGD and KII). The quantitative data were exported from Open Data Kit (ODK) to Stata 15.1 for statistical analysis, and the qualitative data were entered into NVivo 12 and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: Of the health posts, 59.4% had a space for storing drugs; less than half (41.9%; 95% confidence interval (CI) [36%, 48%]) had a functioning refrigerator. The mean percentage of the availability of selected tracer drugs at health posts was 59.6%, with a 95% CI (58.9%, 60.3%). Bin cards were available at 43% (95% CI [40%, 46%]) of health posts, and among these, only 27.5% of the health posts adequately used the bin cards. Conclusion: The absence and poor use of LMIS tools was observed at health posts. Proper implementation of the LMIS has the potential to improve the availability of essential drugs that, in turn, improve health post level delivery of health services.

Ethiopian Health Extension Workers' Training Status and Perceived Competency.

Background: Training and work experience are critical inputs for delivering quality health services. However, no nationwide assessment has been conducted on the status of training and the competency of Health Extension Workers (HEWs). Therefore, this study aimed to assess HEWs' pre-service training status and perceived competency in Ethiopia. Methods: The study was conducted in all regions and all HEWs training institutions in Ethiopia. We used cross-sectional study design with a mixed method approach that included 585 HEWs, 1,245 HEW trainees, 192 instructors, and 43 key informants. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyse quantitative and quantitative data respectively. Result: Twenty-six percent of the HEWs said that they were competent to deliver all the HEP activities, and 73% of the HEWs said that they could confidently deliver 75% of the HEP activities. Receiving in-service training and having level III/IV qualifications are positively associated with the competency of HEWs. Similarly, HEP trainees perceived themselves as highly competent in executing their professional work, except in using computer and mobile health technology. Both instructors and trainees rated the quality of the curriculum and course materials positively. However, basic services and facilities in most training institutions were perceived to be inadequate. Additionally, individual learning, problem-solving, case-analysis, and assessment methods such as project work and portfolios were rarely practiced. Conclusions: Although the perceived competence of HEW trainees is high, the HEWs' training is not provided as per the curriculum because of limited resources. All the necessary resources should be made available to produce competent HEWs.

The Effect of Community Health Information System on Health Care Services Utilization in Rural Ethiopia.

Background: In Ethiopia, the community health information system (CHIS) is implemented at the health post (hp) level with the aim of improving service delivery and use. We conducted a national level assessment of CHIS utilization and explored the associations of CHIS utilization with use of antenatal care (ANC), postnatal care (PNC), institutional delivery and child immunization in rural Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study measuring community-based health service use and HP based CHIS assessment from March to May 2019. Data were collected from 343 HPs and 2,864 women who delivered in the last five years, and multistage sampling was used to select the study subjects. We used descriptive statistics for CHIS implementation and service utilization and multilevel logistic regression to investigate the association of CHIS implementation with maternal and child health care services use. Results: Fifty five percent of the HPs were implementing CHIS. These HPs were using a paper-based household data collection tool called family folder (FF). Of the HPs, one third implemented lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) based data quality check and 60.4% documented and followed execution of decisions. Overall, among the eligible women, 40% used ANC, close to 50% of currently married women used ANC services; 28% of women that fall in the high wealth index category used PNC within 48 hours after delivery; and 86.1% of women who had at least a high school education delivered at a health facility. Implementation of CHIS and family folder utilization and conducting LQAS based data quality check in the HPs were significantly associated with increased odds of ANC, delivery, and vaccination services use. Conclusion: We found that better implementation of CHIS was associated with better maternal and child health service use which implies that increasing utilization of CHIS at HPs will improve mother and child health service use.

Availability of comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care in developing regions in Ethiopia: lessons learned from the USAID transform health activity.

BACKGROUND: In collaboration with its partners, the Ethiopian government has been implementing standard Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care Services (CEmONC) since 2010. However, limited studies documented the lessons learned from such programs on the availability of CEmONC signal functions. This study investigated the availability of CEmONC signal functions and described lessons learned from Transform Health support in Developing Regional State in Ethiopia. METHOD: At baseline, we conducted a cross-sectional study covering 15 public hospitals in four developing regions of Ethiopia (Somali, Afar, Beneshangul Gumz, and Gambella). Then, clinical mentorship was introduced in ten selected hospitals. This was followed by reviewing the clinical mentorship program report implemented in all regions. We used the tool adapted from an Averting Maternal Death and Disability tools to collect data through face-to-face interviews. We also reviewed maternal and neonatal records. We then descriptively analyzed the data and presented the findings using text, tables, and graphs. RESULT: At baseline, six out of the 15 hospitals performed all the nine CEmONC signal functions, and one-third of the signal functions were performed in all hospitals. Cesarean Section service was available in eleven hospitals, while blood transfusion was available in ten hospitals. The least performed signal functions were blood transfusion, Cesarean Section, manual removal of placenta, removal of retained product of conceptus, and parenteral anticonvulsants. After implementing the clinical mentorship program, all CEmONC signal functions were available in all hospitals selected for the mentorship program except for Abala Hospital; the number of Cesarean Sections increased by 7.25% at the last quarter of 2021compared to the third quarter of 20,219; and the number of women referred for blood transfusions and further management of obstetric complications decreased by 96.67% at the last quarter of 2021 compared to the third quarter of 20,219. However, the number of women with post-cesarean Section surgical site infection, obstetric complications, facility maternal deaths, neonatal deaths, and stillbirths have not been changed. CONCLUSION: The availability of CEmONC signal functions in the supported hospitals did not change the occurrence of maternal death and stillbirth. This indicates the need for investigating underlying and proximal factors that contributed to maternal death and stillbirth in the Developing Regional State of Ethiopia. In addition, there is also the need to assess the quality of the CEmONC services in the supported hospitals, institutionalize reviews, surveillance, and response mechanism for maternal and perinatal or neonatal deaths and near misses.

Effect of USAID-funded obstetric ultrasound service interventions on maternal and perinatal health outcomes at primary healthcare facilities in Ethiopia: a propensity score matching analysis.

OBJECTIVE: A dimensional shift in the health service delivery in the primary healthcare setting is required to raise maternal and child well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of US Agency for International Development-funded obstetric ultrasound service on maternal and perinatal health outcomes at Ethiopia's primary healthcare facilities. DESIGN: We employed a quasi-experimental study design. SETTING: The study was conducted in primary health centres located in four regions of Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: We used 2 years' data of 1568 mothers from 13 intervention and 13 control primary health centres. Data were obtained from Vscan, antenatal care (ANC), delivery and postnatal care registers. INTERVENTION: Use of portable obstetric ultrasound service during pregnancy. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome variables include complete four ANC visits, referral during ANC, delivery in a health facility and having postnatal care and continuum of care. The secondary outcome variable was perinatal death. RESULTS: With the kernel matching approach, we have found that having four or more ANC visits was decreased after the intervention (average treatment effect (ATE): -0.20; 95% CI: -0.23 to -0.09), and the rest of the indicators, including referral during ANC (ATE: 0.01; 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.34), institutional delivery (ATE: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.34) and postnatal care (ATE: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.37), were significantly raised because of the intervention. Similarly, we have found that perinatal death dropped considerably due to the intervention. CONCLUSION: The findings show a consistent increase in maternal health service use because of the introduction of obstetric ultrasound services at the primary health centre level. Furthermore, early detection of complications and following referral for specialty care were found to be high. The consistent rise in maternal health service use indicators calls for additional trial to test the effect of obstetric ultrasound service in other locations of the country. Furthermore, evaluating the predictive values, sensitivity and specificity of the obstetric ultrasound service is important.

Understanding the factors affecting attrition and intention to leave of health extension workers: a mixed methods study in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The Health Extension Program (HEP) is Ethiopia's flagship community health program, launched in 2003. Health Extension Workers (HEWs) are key vehicles for the delivery of the HEP. While it is believed that there is high attrition among HEWs, the magnitude of or reasons for attrition is unknown. Their intention to leave their jobs in the next 5 years has also never been investigated on a national scale. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of, and factors affecting HEWs' attrition and intention to leave in Ethiopia. METHODS: The study used mixed methods to address the research objectives. Using stratified random sampling and regions as strata, 85 districts from nine regions were randomly selected in Ethiopia. Within each study district, six kebeles (village clusters) were randomly selected, and all HEWs working in these kebeles were interviewed to capture their 5-year intention to leave. The study team developed a data-extraction tool for a rapid review of district-level documents covering the period June 30, 2004 through June 30, 2019 to gather their attrition figures. We used survival analysis to model attrition data and checked model goodness-of-fit using the Cox-Snell residual test. We additionally collected qualitative data from HEWs who had left their positions. RESULTS: The attrition of HEWS over the lifespan of the HEP was 21.1% (95% CI 17.5-25.3%), and the median time to exit from HEWs workforce was 5.8 years. The incidence rate was 3.1% [95% CI 2.8-3.4]. The risk of attrition was lower amongst HEWs with level four certifications, with children, and among those working in urban settings. By contrast, HEWs who were not certified with a certificate of competency (COC), who were deployed after 2008, and those who were diploma/degree holders were more likely to exit the HEWs workforce. The magnitude of intention to leave was 39.5% (95% CI 32.5-47%) and the primary reasons to leave were low incentives, dearth of career development opportunities (50.8%), high workload (24.2%), and other psychosocial factors (25%). CONCLUSION: Although the magnitude of attrition is not worryingly high, we see high magnitude in HEWs' intention to leave, indicating a dissatisfied workforce. Multiple factors have contributed to attrition and intention to leave, the prevalence of many of which can be reduced to fit the needs of this workforce and to retain them for the sustained delivery of primary healthcare in the country. Ensuring HEWs' job satisfaction is important and linked with their career development and potentially higher rates of retention.

Disparities in the implementation of the Health Extension Program in Ethiopia: Doing more and better towards universal health coverage.

Introduction: Large-scale implementation of the Health Extension Program (HEP) has enabled Ethiopia to make significant progress in health services coverage and health outcomes. However, evidence on equity and disparities in the implementation of the HEP is limited. The aim of this study was to examine disparities in the implementation of the HEP in Ethiopia. Methods: We used data from the 2019 National HEP assessment which was conducted between Oct 2018 and Sept 2019 in nine regions in the country. Data were collected from 62 districts, 343 Health posts, 179 Health centres, 584 Health Extension Workers (HEWs), and 7043 women from 7122 Households. This study focused on selected input, service delivery, and coverage indicators. We used rate differences, rate ratios and index of disparity to assess disparities in HEP implementation across regions. Results: We found wide inter-regional disparities in HEP implementation. Developing regional states (DRS) had significantly lower availability of qualified HEWs (Rate Ratio (RR) = 0.54), proportion of households visited by Health Extension workers (RR = 0.40), and proportion of mothers who received education on child nutrition (RR = 0.45) as compared national average. There were also significant disparities in HEP implementation among DRS in the proportion of households visited by HEWs in the past 12 months (Index of disparity = 1.58) and proportion of adolescents who interacted with HEWs (Index of disparity = 1.43). Despite low overall coverage of health services in DRS, the contribution of the HEP for maternal health services was relatively high. Conclusion: There were significant inter-regional disparities in the implementation HEP in Ethiopia. The level of disparity among DRS was also remarkable. To achieve Universal Health Coverage, it is important that these disparities are addressed systematically and strategically. We recommend a tailored approach in HEP implementation in DRS.

Continuum of maternity care among rural women in Ethiopia: does place and frequency of antenatal care visit matter?

INTRODUCTION: The ministry of health (MOH) of Ethiopia recommends 4 or more focused antenatal care (ANC) visits at health centre (HC) or at a higher level of health facility (HF). In Ethiopia, few studies investigated time dimension of maternal health continuum of care but lack data regarding place dimension and its effect on continuum of care. The aim of this study is to estimate effect of place of ANC-1 visit and adherence to MOH's recommendations of MOH for ANC visits on continuum of care rural in Ethiopia. METHODS: We used data collected from 1431 eligible women included in the National Health Extension Program (HEP) assessment survey that covered 6324 households from 62 woredas in nine regions. The main outcome variable is continuum of care (CoC), which is the uptake of all recommended ANC visits, institutional delivery and postnatal care services. Following descriptive analysis, Propensity Score Matching was used to estimate the effect of place of ANC-1 visit on completion of CoC. Zero inflated Poisson regression was used to model the effect of adherence to MOH recommendation of ANC visits on intensity of maternal health continuum of care. RESULT: Only 13.9% of eligible women completed the continuum of care, and place of first antenatal care (ANC) visit was not significantly associated with the completion of continuum of care (ß = 0.04, 95% CI = -0.02, 0.09). Adherence of ANC visit to the MOH recommendation (at least 4 ANC visits at higher HFs than health posts (HPs)) increased the likelihood of higher intensity of continuum of care (aIRR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.33). Moreover, the intensity of continuum of care was positively associated with being in agrarian areas (aIRR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.29), exposed to HEP (IRR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.28), being informed about danger signs (aIRR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.18) and delivery of second youngest child at HF (IRR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.20). Increasing age of women was negatively associated with use of services (IRR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.87, 0.94). CONCLUSION: Completion of maternal health continuum of care is very low in Ethiopia, however most of the women use at least one of the services. Completion of continuum of care was not affected by place of first ANC visit. Adherence to MOH recommendation of ANC visit increased the intensity of continuum of care. Intensity of continuum of care was positively associated with residing in agrarian areas, HEP exposure, danger sign told, delivery of second youngest child at health facility. To boost the uptake of all maternal health services, it is crucial to work on quality of health facilities, upgrading the infrastructures of HPs and promoting adherence to MOH recommendations of ANC visit.

Maternal health continuum of care is an integrated service delivery of antenatal care, facility delivery and postnatal care on appropriate time and place. Continuum of care averts more maternal mortality than individual service provision. In Ethiopia a small percent of women complete continuum of care. Previous studies in Ethiopia explored the effect of time on CoC, however the effect of place of service delivery on subsequent continuum of care were not addressed. This study, therefore, assessed the effect of place of service delivery on completion of subsequent continuum of care using data from 1431 fixed cohort of women during the National HEP assessment survey.The proportion of women who took all essential maternal health services was very low. Whether first antenatal care is at health post or at health centre did not have a significant effect on the completion of maternal health continuum of care. Adherence to the existing recommendations of Ministry of Health for antenatal care visit increases the uptake of maternal health continuum of care. Better completion of maternal health services was observed in agrarian than pastoralist areas, among those who have exposure to health extension program, who have information about danger signs, and who deliver their previous child at health facility. We can conclude that good implementation of the health extension program, and improving service quality at health facilities increase the uptakes of maternal health service. Moreover, promoting adherence of women to the ministry of health ANC recommendations increase uptakes.

Economic evaluation of Health Extension Program packages in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Ethiopia launched the Health Extension Program (HEP) in 2004, aimed at ensuring equitable community-level healthcare services through Health Extension Workers. Despite the program's being a flagship initiative, there is limited evidence on whether investment in the program represents good value for money. This study assessed the cost and cost-effectiveness of HEP interventions to inform policy decisions for resource allocation and priority setting in Ethiopia. METHODS: Twenty-one health care interventions were selected under the hygiene and sanitation, family health services, and disease prevention and control sub-domains. The ingredient bottom-up and top-down costing method was employed. Cost and cost-effectiveness were assessed from the provider perspective. Health outcomes were measured using life years gained (LYG). Incremental cost per LYG in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of Ethiopia (US$852.80) was used to ascertain the cost-effectiveness. All costs were collected in Ethiopian birr and converted to United States dollars (US$) using the average exchange rate for 2018 (US$1 = 27.67 birr). Both costs and health outcomes were discounted by 3%. RESULT: The average unit cost of providing selected hygiene and sanitation, family health, and disease prevention and control services with the HEP was US$0.70, US$4.90, and US$7.40, respectively. The major cost driver was drugs and supplies, accounting for 53% and 68%, respectively, of the total cost. The average annual cost of delivering all the selected interventions was US$9,897. All interventions fall within 1 times GDP per capita per LYG, indicating that they are very cost-effective (ranges: US$22-$295 per LYG). Overall, the HEP is cost-effective by investing US$77.40 for every LYG. CONCLUSION: The unit cost estimates of HEP interventions are crucial for priority-setting, resource mobilization, and program planning. This study found that the program is very cost-effective in delivering community health services.

Symbolic sites of belonging and prevention and control of tuberculosis: perceptions and practices of community health workers in Brazil and Ethiopia. / Sítios simbólicos de pertencimento e prevenção e controle da tuberculose: percepções e práticas dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde no Brasil e na Etiópia.

This article aims to evaluate the contribution of Community DOTS, Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course, for the prevention and control of Tuberculosis actions in primary care in Brazil and Ethiopia, based on the perceptions and practice of the community health care workers. We employed the Symbolic Sites conceptual-methodological framework, accounting for its three types: Black box, Conceptual box, and Toolbox. The contrasting case study involved triangulating and complementing data collection and analysis from semi-structured interviews with community health workers and health professionals, site observation, and document analysis. The results highlight a sense of commitment as an essential value regarding the activities developed by community health workers in both contexts. The main challenges are the insufficient capacity building and supervision (Conceptual box), and the difficulties related to access (Toolbox), expressed in long geographic distances in the Ethiopian case and barriers related to territory violence, mostly drug trafficking, although not explicit, in the Brazilian context. This implies in a continuous effort for the community health workers to adapt their practices, respecting the cultural values (Black box), in order to direct their actions to overcome these challenges.

O objetivo do artigo é avaliar a contribuição do DOTS comunitário, do inglês "Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course", nas ações de prevenção e controle da tuberculose na atenção primária no Brasil e na Etiópia, a partir das percepções e práticas dos agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS). Utilizou-se o referencial conceitual e metodológico dos sítios simbólicos de pertencimento, com suas três tipologias: caixas preta, conceitual e operacional. Empregou-se o estudo de dois casos contrastantes, triangulando e complementando informações advindas de entrevistas semiestruturadas com ACS e profissionais de saúde e também observação participante. Os achados destacam o sentido de comprometimento dos ACS como um valor importante nas ações desenvolvidas em ambos contextos. Os principais desafios são a insuficiência de capacitação e supervisão das ações realizadas (caixa conceitual), assim como as dificuldades de acesso (caixa de ferramentas), expressas em distâncias geográficas no caso etíope e em barreiras relacionadas à violência no território, não explicitadas, no contexto brasileiro. Isto implica em um esforço contínuo dos ACS para adaptar suas práticas, respeitando os valores culturais (caixa preta) que dão sentido e direção às suas ações na superação dos desafios.

Sítios simbólicos de pertencimento e prevenção e controle da tuberculose: percepções e práticas dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde no Brasil e na Etiópia / Symbolic sites of belonging and prevention and control of tuberculosis: perceptions and practices of community health workers in Brazil and Ethiopia

Resumo O objetivo do artigo é avaliar a contribuição do DOTS comunitário, do inglês "Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course", nas ações de prevenção e controle da tuberculose na atenção primária no Brasil e na Etiópia, a partir das percepções e práticas dos agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS). Utilizou-se o referencial conceitual e metodológico dos sítios simbólicos de pertencimento, com suas três tipologias: caixas preta, conceitual e operacional. Empregou-se o estudo de dois casos contrastantes, triangulando e complementando informações advindas de entrevistas semiestruturadas com ACS e profissionais de saúde e também observação participante. Os achados destacam o sentido de comprometimento dos ACS como um valor importante nas ações desenvolvidas em ambos contextos. Os principais desafios são a insuficiência de capacitação e supervisão das ações realizadas (caixa conceitual), assim como as dificuldades de acesso (caixa de ferramentas), expressas em distâncias geográficas no caso etíope e em barreiras relacionadas à violência no território, não explicitadas, no contexto brasileiro. Isto implica em um esforço contínuo dos ACS para adaptar suas práticas, respeitando os valores culturais (caixa preta) que dão sentido e direção às suas ações na superação dos desafios.

Abstract This article aims to evaluate the contribution of Community DOTS, Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course, for the prevention and control of Tuberculosis actions in primary care in Brazil and Ethiopia, based on the perceptions and practice of the community health care workers. We employed the Symbolic Sites conceptual-methodological framework, accounting for its three types: Black box, Conceptual box, and Toolbox. The contrasting case study involved triangulating and complementing data collection and analysis from semi-structured interviews with community health workers and health professionals, site observation, and document analysis. The results highlight a sense of commitment as an essential value regarding the activities developed by community health workers in both contexts. The main challenges are the insufficient capacity building and supervision (Conceptual box), and the difficulties related to access (Toolbox), expressed in long geographic distances in the Ethiopian case and barriers related to territory violence, mostly drug trafficking, although not explicit, in the Brazilian context. This implies in a continuous effort for the community health workers to adapt their practices, respecting the cultural values (Black box), in order to direct their actions to overcome these challenges.

Process evaluation of the community-based newborn care program implementation in Geze Gofa district, south Ethiopia: a case study evaluation design.

BACKGROUND: The Community-Based Newborn Care (CBNC) program is a comprehensive strategy designed to improve the health of newborns during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period through health extension workers at community levels, although the implementation has not been evaluated yet. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the process of the CBNC program implementation in Geze Gofa district, south Ethiopia. METHODS: A case study evaluation design with a mixed method was employed from May 1 to 31, 2017. A total of 321 mothers who gave birth from September 01, 2016 to February 29, 2017, were interviewed. Similarly, 27 direct observations, six-month document reviews, and 14 key informant interviews were conducted. The quantitative data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, variables with < 0.05 p-values and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were used to declare factors associated with maternal satisfaction. The qualitative data were transcribed, translated, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The overall process of program implementation was measured based on pre-determined judgmental criteria. RESULTS: The overall level of the implementation process of the CBNC program was 72.7%, to which maternal satisfaction, availability of resources, and healthcare providers' compliance with the national guideline contributed 75.0, 81.0, and 68.0%, respectively. Essential drugs and medical equipment, like vitamin K, chlorohexidine ointment, neonatal resuscitation bags, and masks used in the program were out of stock. Very severe diseases were not treated according to the national guidelines, and the identification of neonatal sepsis cases was poor. Trading occupation (AOR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.03-0.97) and low wealth status (AOR: 3.11, 95% CI: 1.16-8.36) were factors associated with maternal satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The process of CBNC program implementation was relatively good, although the compliance of healthcare providers with the national guideline and maternal satisfaction with the services was low. Some essential drugs and medical equipment were out of stock. Merchant and low wealth status affected maternal satisfaction. Therefore, healthcare offices should provide crucial medicines and equipment for better program implementation and improve the wealth status of mothers to enhance maternal satisfaction.

Correction to: Public-on-private dual practice among physicians in public hospitals of Tigray National Regional State, North Ethiopia: perspectives of physicians, patients and managers.

CORRECTION: After the publication of this article [1] it has come to our attention that the author Jeph Herrin was incorrectly included as Jeph Henry. The correct spelling is included in this erratum and the original article has been updated.