Improved performance of district health systems through implementing health center clinical and administrative standards in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Argaw MD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6381692 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 686 mothers in Burie District from March 16 to March 25, 2017. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using face to face interviewer administered structured questionnaires. Then, the collected data was entered, coded, and cleaned into EPI Data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for data analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was done to assess the association of factors with postpartum modern contraceptive use. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and p values <0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. Result:This study revealed that postpartum modern contraceptive use was found to be 20.7%. Postpartum modern contraceptive use was significantly associated with women's level of education (AOR = 0.15, 95% CI (0.03-0.71)), discussing FP methods with partner (AOR = 0.60, 95% CI (0.40-0.90)), knowing menses return after birth (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI (0.25-0.59)), ever heard about modern FP methods (AOR = 0.06, 95% CI (0.01-0.43)), and contacting health professionals (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI (1.19-2.88)). Conclusion and Recommendations. Postpartum modern contraceptive use was found to be low. Therefore, health professionals should work on improvements in women's educational status, making awareness of the women and counseling of their husbands about the use of postpartum contraception, when fertility returned and risky timing for becoming pregnant.
| S-EPMC7115150 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis. It is one of the most common vaccine-preventable bacterial infections that affects all susceptible individuals, regardless of age. Investigation was done to verify the existence of an outbreak and to identify associated risk factors contributed for the occurrence of an outbreak in Tork and Warkaye villages of Mekdela district.MethodsUnmatched community based case control and descriptive cross sectional investigation were conducted with one to two ratios. We used structured questionnaire to collect data from cases and controls.ResultsA total of 215 cases and eight deaths were identified with an overall attack rate of 1.3 per 1000 population. The mean age of the cases was 3.7 years which was ranged from 3 months to 45 years. The more affected groups were females. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the risk factor that remained independently statically significant associated with developing pertussis was presence of infected person in the family AOR (adjusted odds ratio): 5.859, (95% CI 2.526-13.589). But previously sick with pertussis AOR: 0.053, (95% CI 0.006-0.460) and receiving full dose of vaccine AOR: 0.256, (95% CI 0.080-0.818) were remained as protective factors from pertussis infection.ConclusionsThe suspected pertussis outbreak was occurred in remote pocket villages/kebeles of Mekdela district. Routine immunization was not given regularly and functional refrigerators were not available in the health posts. Routine immunization services and treatment of infected patients with appropriate antibiotics should be intensified.
| S-EPMC5568300 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPodoconiosis (endemic non-filarial elephantiasis) is a chronic disease characterized by the development of persistent swelling of plantar foot initially; which progresses to the dorsal foot and lower leg slowly or in a number of acute episodes to reach the knee. About 4 million people are said to be affected by the disease worldwide and it is deemed a serious public health problem in at least 10 African countries including Ethiopia. Therefore this study aimed to identify the determinants of podoconiosis among residence in Machakel district.MethodUnmatched case control study design was conducted at Machakel district from August 30 to September 30, 2022. The sample size calculated using Epi-info software yielded 211 controls and 106 cases (317 study participants). Simple random sampling technique was used to select the cases using registration books of the district. Data were entered to Epi info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 22 for statistical analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to identify explanatory variables.ResultA total of 312 study participants (104 cases and 208 controls) were included giving a response rate of 98.42%. Bare foot (AOR, 5.83 [95% CI: 2.34-14.50]), female sex (AOR, 4.25 [95% CI: 2.22-8.14]), family history of podoconiosis (AOR: 3.01(95% CI: 1.41-6.42) and age group 41-60 (AOR: 5.05(95% CI: 2.35-10.83), and 61-80 AOR 15.74 95% CI: (5.56-44.55) were determinants of Podoconiosis.Conclusion and recommendationBarefoot, sex, family history of podoconiosis and age were determinants of Podoconiosis. District health office should encourage at risk populations especially older people and individuals with family history of podoconiosis about shoe wearing practice all the time and not to expose their skin and feet.
| S-EPMC10581460 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Diseases from food of animal origin are common health problems in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate health and economic burden, and to identify demographic factors associated with community awareness of foodborne zoonotic diseases in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data was collected from 435 households in three towns: Gondar, Lalibela and Debark. A retrospective data was also collected from health records in each town. The health burden due to zoonotic diseases was estimated at 0.2, 0.1 and 1.3 DALYs per household per year and at 73.2, 146.6 and 1,689.5 DALYs out of 100,000 populations per year in Gondar, Lalibela and Debark, respectively. The overall health burden due to foodborne zoonotic diseases (aggregated over the 435 households in the three towns) was estimated to be 89.9 DALYs per 100,000 populations per year. The economic impact of foodborne zoonotic diseases in the three towns of Amhara regional state was 278.98 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) (1ETB = 0.025 US Dollar) per household per year and 121,355.68 ETB per year. Costs of preventive measures followed by costs of patients' time made the highest contribution while costs of diagnosis made the lowest contribution to the total economic burden of foodborne zoonotic diseases. From a total of 435 respondents, 305 (70.1%) had known the presence of zoonotic diseases. Level of education, number of families in the house and income were highly associated with awareness of zoonosis. Although majority of respondents had known zoonotic diseases exists (70.1%) and disease can be acquired from animal source food (63.2%), the health and economic burden associated to foodborne zoonotic diseases are still high. Therefore, changing mindset and practical training aiming in controlling foodborne zoonotic diseases may be suggested to the community in the health improvement extension service.
| S-EPMC8719781 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAnkober District has long been inhabited by people who have a long tradition of using medicinal plants to treat human ailments. Overexploitation of medicinal plants coupled with an ever-increasing population growth, deforestation and agricultural land expansion threatens plants in the area. Hence, this study aimed at documenting and analyzing the plant-based ethnomedicinal knowledge of the people in order to preserve the dwindling indigenous knowledge.MethodsEthnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation and walk-in-the-woods. Quantitative approaches were used to determine Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity level (FL) values. Statistical tests were used to compare the indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants among different informant categories.ResultsA total of 135 medicinal plant species belonging to 128 genera and 71 botanical families were reported to treat human diseases in the District. Families Asteraceae (12 species, 9%) and Fabaceae (10, 7.4%) were found to be best represented in the area. About 44% of preparations were reported to be obtained from roots. Significant difference (P?<?0.05) was observed on the mean number of medicinal plants reported by groups of respondents compared within age, literacy level and experience parameters. Highest ICF values were recorded for gastro-intestinal & parasitic and dermatological disease categories (0.70 each) indicating best agreement among informants knowledge on medicinal plants used to treat aliments in these categories. Highest fidelity level values were recorded for Zehneria scabra (95%) and Hagenia abyssinica (93.75%) showing conformity of knowledge on species of best healing potential. Podocarpus falcatus was ranked first in a direct matrix ranking exercise of multipurpose medicinal plants. The output of preference ranking exercise indicated that Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata was the most preferred species to treat atopic eczema.ConclusionThe study revealed that Ankober District is rich in medicinal plant diversity and associated indigenous knowledge. However, anthropogenic factors coupled with acculturation and very poor conservation efforts threaten medicinal plant survival in the area. Promoting a complementary in situ and ex situ conservation strategy for medicinal plants of the District is highly recommended.
| S-EPMC3846447 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundUse of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), community-based malaria education, prompt diagnosis and treatment are key programme components of malaria prevention and control in Ethiopia. However, the effectiveness of these interventions is often undermined by various challenges, including insecticide and drug resistance, the plasticity of malaria vectors feeding and biting behaviour, and certain household factors that lead to misuse and poor utilization of LLINs. The primary objective of this study was to document households' perceptions towards malaria and assess the prevalence of the disease and the constraints related to the ongoing interventions in Ethiopia (LLINs, IRS, community mobilization house screening).MethodsThe study was conducted in Jabi Tehnan district, Northwestern Ethiopia, from November 2019 to March 2020. A total of 3010 households from 38 villages were randomly selected for socio-economic and demographic survey. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in 11 different health clusters considering agro-ecological differences. A total of 1256 children under 10 years of age were screened for malaria parasites using microscopy to determine malaria prevalence. Furthermore, 5-year malaria trend analysis was undertaken based on data obtained from the district health office to understand the disease dynamics.ResultsMalaria knowledge in the area was high as all FGD participants correctly identified mosquito bites during the night as sources of malaria transmission. Delayed health-seeking behaviour remains a key behavioural challenge in malaria control as it took patients on average 4 days before reporting the case at the nearby health facility. On average, households lost 2.53 working days per person-per malaria episode and they spent US$ 18 per person per episode. Out of the 1256 randomly selected under 10 children tested for malaria parasites, 11 (0.89%) were found to be positive. Malaria disproportionately affected the adult segment of the population more, with 50% of the total cases reported from households being from among individuals who were 15 years or older. The second most affected group was the age group between 5 and 14 years followed by children aged under 5, with 31% and 14% burden, respectively.ConclusionDespite the achievement of universal coverage in terms of LLINs access, utilization of vector control interventions in the area remained low. Using bed nets for unintended purposes remained a major challenge. Therefore, continued community education and communication work should be prioritized in the study area to bring about the desired behavioural changes.
| S-EPMC8656029 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionClient satisfaction is a key indicator to measure quality of healthcare and provides information on the level of success forproviders whether client expectations and values are met. Although there are some institutional based studies done in Ethiopia, still client satisfaction in our settings is not well addressed. Thus, this study was aimed to assess client satisfaction level and identify the underlying factors of poor health service provision in West Amhara, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was conducted from July to August, 2013. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 422 outpatient diagnosis (OPD) service users. The data were entered into EPI Info version 3.5.2 and analyzed usingSPSS version 16.ResultsAmong the 422 study participants, 234 (55.5%) males, the mean (±SD) age was 37.3 (±16.4) years. The overall satisfaction level of the study participants was 39.3%. Poor cleanliness of the facility, fewer service access provision, lack of prescribed drugs within the facility and longer waiting time to get the health care service wasreported by 73.2%, 67.8%, 65.6% and 59.2% of the clients respectively. Paying service users (AOR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.22-3.39, P: 0.007), divorced clients (AOR: 4.26, 95% CI: 1.11-16.26, P: 0.034) and hospital users (AOR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.29-3.69, P: 0.004) were more dissatisfied.ConclusionsClient satisfaction was lowin the health provision in West Amhara region. Expansion of health facilities in remote areas, maintaining continuous availability of prescribed drugs, improving cleanliness of health facilities, and fast health service provision are recommended to satisfy clients in the setting.
| S-EPMC5493333 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Microscopic examination of peripheral blood smear produces reliable results both about the malaria infection status and level of parasitemia. However, test results are affected by skill of the laboratory personnel, workload, condition of microscopes and quality of laboratory supplies. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the performance of laboratories is of pivotal importance in order to make timely correction. METHODS:A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2019 to assess malaria microscopy performance among thirty malaria diagnostic laboratories in west Amhara region. Thirty slides were collected from participating laboratories every quarter. Collected slides were taken to Amhara Public Health Institute reference laboratory and re-checked by malaria microscopists who were blind to the results from health facilities. Percentage of test agreement, rates of false positive, false negative and species misdiagnosis were calculated using Excel 2010. RESULTS:Among a total of 6689 slides re-checked, results of 6146 slides were the same with that of participating laboratories. The test agreement was 97.31 and 94.6% for parasite detection and species identification, respectively. Variations in the overall performance of individual laboratories were seen within a range of 81.55 to 97.27% test agreement. Results of 543 (8.12%) slides were discordant, of which 363 (5.4%), 93 (1.4%) and 87 (1.3%) slides were due to species misdiagnosis, false positive and false negative results, respectively. CONCLUSION:There was good test agreement between participated laboratories and Amhara Public Health Institute. More accurate performance is expected as the country is tracking to malaria elimination. Hence, further strengthening the external quality assurance program is recommended.
| S-EPMC7236141 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionPostpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices (PP-IUCD) are one type of post-partum family planning method, which can be provided to a post-partum woman starting from the placental delivery time (within 10 minutes), or within the first 48 hours of postpartum period. In most developing countries, delivery time is the primary opportunity for women to access post-partum family planning methods, especially for those living in remote areas. Hence, this study assesses providers' knowledge on postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device service provision.MethodsA facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Amhara region health center and hospitals. Health providers surveyed included obstetricians, gynecologists, general practitioners, emergency surgical officers, health officers, midwives and nurses from September 18, 2015 to December18, 2016. Simple random sampling was used to select 864 subjects. Data were collected by using a structured self-administered questionnaire and observing the facility. Multilevel analysis was done to see factors associated with outcome.ResultsA total of 197 health facilities and 864 providers are included in the final analysis. Of the total providers 524 (60.6%) were from a health center. The mean age (±SD) of participants was 27.8 years (±5.4). The number of providers with good knowledge accounted for 253 of those surveyed (29.3%). The proportion of good knowledge among trained PP-IUCD providers was 35.7% (those who scored above average), and 27.9% was untrained about PP-IUCD. A considerable heterogeneity was observed between health facilities for each indicator of provider's knowledge. Gender differences were observed as the mean knowledge score deference on PP-IUCD by 0.4 points (β = -0.41; -0.72, -0.10) when the participant was female. Having experience of regular counseling of pregnant women increases PP-IUCD knowledge score by 0.97. (β = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.48, 1.47). Where the health facility requested clients to purchase the IUCD themselves, the mean knowledge score decreased by 0.47 points compared with free of charge at the facility level (β = -0.47; 95%CI: -0.87, -0.07).ConclusionOur findings showed that providers' knowledge about postpartum IUCD was low in the Amhara region public health facility. The lowest knowledge score was noted among nurses, health Officers, midwives, and general practice professionals. Factors associated with providers' knowledge on PP-IUCD are the status of health facility, female sex, training on PP-IUCD, regular counseling of pregnant women, and unavailability of IUCD service.
| S-EPMC6449033 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundTrachoma recrudescence after elimination as a public health problem has been reached is a concern for control programs globally. Programs typically conduct district-level trachoma surveillance surveys (TSS) ≥ 2 years after the elimination threshold is achieved to determine whether the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) among children ages 1 to 9 years remains <5%. Many TSS are resulting in a TF prevalence ≥5%. Once a district returns to TF ≥5%, a program typically restarts costly mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns and surveys at least twice, for impact and another TSS. In Amhara, Ethiopia, most TSS which result in a TF ≥5% have a prevalence close to 5%, making it difficult to determine whether the result is due to true recrudescence or to statistical variability. This study's aim was to monitor recrudescence within Amhara by waiting to restart MDA within 2 districts with a TF prevalence ≥5% at TSS, Metema = 5.2% and Woreta Town = 5.1%. The districts were resurveyed 1 year later using traditional and alternative indicators, such as measures of infection and serology, a "wait and watch" approach.Methods/principal findingsThese post-surveillance surveys, conducted in 2021, were multi-stage cluster surveys whereby certified graders assessed trachoma signs. Children ages 1 to 9 years provided a dried blood spot and children ages 1 to 5 years provided a conjunctival swab. TF prevalence in Metema and Woreta Town were 3.6% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]:1.4-6.4) and 2.5% (95% CI:0.8-4.5) respectively. Infection prevalence was 1.2% in Woreta Town and 0% in Metema. Seroconversion rates to Pgp3 in Metema and Woreta Town were 0.4 (95% CI:0.2-0.7) seroconversions per 100 child-years and 0.9 (95% CI:0.6-1.5) respectively.Conclusions/significanceBoth study districts had a TF prevalence <5% with low levels of Chlamydia trachomatis infection and transmission, and thus MDA interventions are no longer warranted. The wait and watch approach represents a surveillance strategy which could lead to fewer MDA campaigns and surveys and thus cost savings with reduced antibiotic usage.
| S-EPMC10914254 | biostudies-literature