Background The continuity of care throughout pregnancy, birth, and after delivery is an effective strategy to avert maternal and newborn deaths. A low proportion of mothers have achieved the continuum of maternal care in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the rate and factors associated with the completion of a continuum of maternal healthcare services in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted over two months (from September to October 2021) in 18 kebeles of the Hadiya zone, southern Ethiopia. Multistage cluster sampling was carried out to select the required study subjects, and data were collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. A multilevel binary logistic regression model was used to examine the effects of individual and community-level factors on key elements of the care continuum. The measure of fixed effects was expressed as an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results In this study, only 11.3% of women completed all components of the care continuum, which included four or more antenatal visits, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care. The factors that are significantly associated with the completion of maternal care include higher maternal education [AOR = 4.1; 95%CI: 1.3–12.6], urban residence [AOR = 1.8; 95%CI: 1.1–3.0], time of first antenatal care follow-up [AOR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.6–4.6], knowledgeability regarding postnatal danger signs [AOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1–3.3], being in the highest wealth quintile [AOR = 2.8; 95%CI: 1.2–6.6] and primipara [AOR = 3.6; 95%CI: 1.4–9.4]. Conclusion The rate of continuum of maternal healthcare services utilization was low in the study area. The findings indicated that higher maternal education, urban residence, time of first antenatal care follow-up, knowledgeability regarding postnatal danger signs, being in the highest wealth quintile and primipara were the factors associated with the completion of the continuum of maternal care. As a result of this study’s findings, program planners and ministry of health and non-governmental organizations working on maternal health should prioritize continued and strengthened health education in order to increase the completion level of the continuum of maternal healthcare services.

Background. Timely detection and treatment of pregnancy-related or preexisting diseases, health education, and the promotion of adequate care provision improve the health of mothers and unborn children. As such, these factors are crucial within the first pregnancy trimester. However, very few women in low and middle-income countries initiate their first ANC in the recommended trimester of pregnancy. This study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of timely initiation of ANC and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Wachemo University Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memorial comprehensive specialized hospital, Hossana, Ethiopia. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 4, 2022 to May 19, 2022. A systematic sampling technique was used to select study participants. Data were collected from pregnant women using a pretested structured interview questionnaire. EpiData version 3.1 was used to enter the data, and SPSS version 24 was used to analyze it. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify the associated factors at a 95% confidence interval with a p value < 0.05. Results. This study indicated that 118 (34.3%) of the women initiated ANC timely. The factors associated with timely initiation of ANC included women aged 25–34 years ( AOR = 0.3 ; 95% CI: (0.1, 0.7)), tertiary maternal education ( AOR = 3.2 , 95% CI: (1.0, 9.9)), zero parity ( AOR = 7.7 ; 95% CI: (3.6, 15.3)), planned pregnancy ( AOR = 13.7 ; 95% CI: (5.5, 34.3)), good knowledge about ANC services ( AOR = 3.1 ; 95% (CI: (2.3, 11.3)), and good knowledge about danger signs in pregnancy ( AOR = 4.8 ; 95% CI: (2.2, 8.1)). Conclusion. This study demonstrates the importance of making a significant effort to increase the coverage of timely ANC initiation in the study area. Therefore, increasing the awareness level of mothers regarding ANC services given during pregnancy and danger signs in pregnancy and advancing the academic level of mothers are essential to increase the coverage of timely initiation of ANC.

Background Induction of labor is one of the most used obstetric procedures in the world. It is performed in around 20% of all pregnancies. Failed induction of labor, on the other hand, has been associated with poorer mother and newborn health outcomes. Besides, there is a scarcity of data on the current burden and drivers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with failed induction in Worabe Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on medical records of mothers who delivered through induction of labor during September 1st, 2018 to August 30th, 2020. The samples were collected using a systematic sampling technique. The data was extracted using a checklist. Data were entered into EpiData (version 3.1) and analyzed using SPSS (version 24). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to decide the association of explanatory variables with the outcome variable. Odds ratio with their 95% CI were calculated to identify the presence and strength of an association. A p-value of < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Results In this study, the prevalence of failed induction was observed to be 22.2%. The associated factors included rural residence (AOR = 5.7, 95% CI: 3.12–11.02), primiparity (AOR = 8.4, 95% CI: 2.72–22.36) and unfavourable bishop score (AOR = 5.9, 95% CI: 4.52–16.12). Conclusions In comparison to the rate reported in developed countries, the study area had a high rate of failed induction. Being rural residence, primiparity and unfavourable bishop score were the associated factors of failed induction. Therefore, to reduce of the rate of failed induction, health care practitioners should analyze cervical status (using Bishop Score) to decide the possibility of successful induction, with a focus on associated factors like parity.

Background : Birth asphyxia is a major contributor to neonatal mortality worldwide. In Ethiopia, birth asphyxia remains a severe condition that leads to significant mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and contributing factors of birth asphyxia among the neonates delivered at the Negest Eleni Mohammed Memorial Teaching Hospital, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study design was employed from June 1- 30, 2019. Two hundred seventy nine study participants were selected using the systematic sampling method. Data were collected using a pretested structured interviewer administered questionnaire, check list and chart review . Data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 24. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis were made and P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Result: The overall prevalence of birth asphyxia among newborns was 15.1%. Factors that were significantly associated with birth asphyxia included mothers aged ≥ 35 [AOR=6.4, 95% CI (2.0, 20.5)], primigravida [AOR=5.1, 95% CI (2.0, 13.3)], prolonged second stage of labor [AOR=4.6, 95%CI (1.6, 13.3)], preterm birth [AOR=4.7, 95% CI (1.5, 14.1)], meconium stained amniotic fluid [AOR=7.5, 95% CI (2.5, 21.4)]and tight nuchal [AOR=3.1, 95% CI (1.2, 9.3)]. Conclusion: Birth asphyxia is still prevalent in the study setting. The results of this study show the need for better maternal care, creating awareness about contributing factors of birth asphyxia to the maternity health professionals, careful monitoring of labor, and identifying and taking proper measures that could help in reducing the occurrence of birth asphyxia.

Background Lower respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is among these problems requiring the knowledge of its general international and national burden as well as concerning its etiologic agents. There is no nationally representative information on the prevalence of bacterial CAP with its common etiology. This review was intended to report the pooled prevalence of CAP with common bacterial etiologies among adult populations in the Ethiopia context. Methodology A comprehensive search of published literature was made on electronic databases such as PUBMED, Science Direct, CINAHL, HINARI, Google scholar, and the local university repository. This study was done based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline. A primary article published in the last two decades that report the bacterial profile of CAP among adult population in Ethiopia was included. The quality of each study was checked by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist for cross-sectional studies. Cochrane Q and I2 values were used to assess the heterogeneity among studies. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plot and eggers test. The random effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. The protocol for this study was registered in PROSPERO (ID=CRD42022357896). Result A total of 1440 articles were screened and only 9 articles were included in the final analysis with a total sample size of 2496. The pooled prevalence of CAP among adult population was 39.18% confidence interval (CI (36.34-42.02), I2=52.6, P=0.032). With respect to bacterial etiologies Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common isolate (9.1%) followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (8.11%) and Staphylococcus aureus (6.8%). There was no publication bias as checked by symmetric funnel plot and eggers test (p = 0.15). The estimate of all included studies has laid between CI of the pooled estimate as indicated by sensitivity analysis. Conclusions The overall estimate of CAP in this study was 39.18%. Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were the most common isolate in causing CAP. It is better to provide a tool for the diagnosis of specific etiologic agents for better diagnosis of patients and increase patient outcomes by reducing empirical treatments.