ObjectivesTo assess utilisation of district health information system and its associated factors among health professionals in the southwest of Ethiopia, 2020.SettingPublic health facilities in the southwest of Ethiopia.ParticipantsA facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 260 participants.Main outcome measuresThe main outcome measure was utilisation of the district health information system.ResultsOverall, 149 (57.3%) of study participants had good utilisation of district health information systems (95% CI 50 to 64.2). Sufficient skills (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 3.83, 95% CI 1.92 to 7.64), being trained (AOR 3.90, 95% CI 1.95 to 7.79), high motivation (AOR 3.93, 95% CI 1.99 to 7.76), feedback provided (AOR 2.93, 95% CI 1.53 to 5.77) and regular supervision (AOR 3.06, 95% CI 1.56 to 6.01) were associated with utilisation of district health information systems.ConclusionsIn general, more than half of the respondents had good utilisation of district health information systems. Providing regular supportive supervision and feedback, having good skills on district health information system use, high motivation and being trained on district health information system will help to bring good utilisation of district health information system for decision making.

Background All women require access to high-quality care during pregnancy, labor, and after childbirth. The occurrence of delay at any stage is one of the major causes of maternal mortality. There is, however, a scarcity of data on women’s access to maternal health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the magnitude of delays in maternal health service utilization and its associated factors among pregnant women in the Ilubabor zone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 pregnant women selected by systematic random sampling. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Descriptive and summary statistics were used to describe the study population. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the outcome variables. Adjusted odds ratio with respective 95% CI was used to report significant covariates. Results A total of 402 pregnant women participated in this study. The median age of the respondents was 25 years (IQR = 8). On average, a woman stays 1.76 hours (SD = 1.2) to make a decision to seek care. The prevalence of first, second and third delay were 51%, 48%, and 33.3%, respectively. Being unmarried [AOR (95% CI)], [0.145 (0.046–0.452)], being unemployed [AOR (95% CI)], [4.824 (1.685–13.814)], age [AOR (95% CI)], [0.227 (0.089–0.0579)], fear of COVID-19 [AOR (95% CI)], [1.112 (1.036–1.193)], urban residence [AOR (95% CI)], [0.517 (0.295–0.909)], and lack of birth preparedness [AOR (95% CI)], [6.526 (1.954–21.789)] were significantly associated with first delay. Being unmarried [AOR (95% CI)], [5.984 (2.930–12.223)], being unemployed [AOR (95% CI)], [26.978 (3.477–209.308)], and age [AOR (95% CI)], [0.438 (0.226–0.848)] were significantly associated with second delay. Having lengthy admission [AOR (95% CI)], [7.5 (4.053–13.878)] and non-spontaneous vaginal delivery [AOR (95% CI)], [1.471 (1.018–1.999)] were significantly associated with third delay. Conclusion This study identified a significant proportion of mothers experiencing delays, although there were no data to suggest exacerbated delays in utilizing maternal health services due to fear of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of maternal delay varies with different factors. Improving the decision-making capacity of women is, therefore, essential.

Background Childbirth fear affects 5–40% of all mothers around the world, and there is mounting evidence that it has harmful impacts on women’s health. It could potentially lead pregnant women to feel isolated and unsupported if not identified. But studies addressing this issue are limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the magnitude and associated factors of childbirth fear among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public hospitals in West Wollega Zone. Methods Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 304 pregnant women selected by systematic random sampling from 20 March to 20 April 2020. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was adapted and used to collect data. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to IBM SPSS statistics version 26 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were done to calculate frequencies, mean scores, and standard deviation. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with childbirth fear. Variables with p < 0.25 in bivariate analyses were selected for multivariable analysis. Finally, statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05. Results Out of the total of 304 participants, 298 completed the interview making the response rate 98%. The overall prevalence of childbirth fear was 28.9% with 95% CI (23.5, 34.2). Mean age of the respondents was 27.60 (SD ± 4.56) years. Having previous pregnancy complications [AOR (95% CI)], [6.949 (2.060 – 23.445), presence of long time during childbirth [AOR (95% CI)], [4.765 (1.161 – 19.564)], presence of episiotomy [AOR (95% CI)], [4.197 (1.107 – 15.917)], low social support [AOR (95% CI)], [.011 (.003 – .050)] were significantly associated with childbirth fear. Conclusion Pregnant women in the study area have a significant level of childbirth fear. Previous pregnancy complications, prolonged labor, labor pain, previous perineal tear, and social support were all found to be significantly linked with childbirth fear. This calls for the need to identify and develop interventions for women to reduce childbirth fear during pregnancy.

Background Transcultural self-efficacy is a nurse’s perception of his or her own ability to accomplish activities effectively for culturally diverse clients. This self-efficacy may be affected by different factors, either positively or negatively. Quality care can be improved significantly when nurses provide patient-centered care that considers cultural background of the patients. Thus, this study aimed to assess perceived transcultural self-efficacy and its associated factors among nurses working at Jimma Medical Center. Methods Facility-based cross-sectional study with both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was conducted among 244 nurses and 10 key informants from 20 May to 20 June 2020. Bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with transcultural self-efficacy. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically. Quantitative results were integrated with qualitative results. Results A total of 236 nurses participated in the study making the response rate 96.7%. The mean transcultural self-efficacy score was 2.89 ± 0.59. Sex, work experience, intercultural communication, cultural sensitivity, interpersonal communication, and cultural motivation were significantly associated with transcultural self-efficacy. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted and the findings of qualitative data yielded four major themes. Conclusion The level of perceived transcultural self-efficacy was moderate among nurses. Transcultural self-efficacy of nurses varies with several factors including sex, experience, intercultural communication, cultural sensitivity, interpersonal communication, and cultural motivation. This calls for the need to offer transcultural nursing training for nurses.

Background The main target of tuberculosis control and prevention is to detect incident cases as quickly as possible and also to prevent the occurrence of disease. It is also the responsibility of the health facility to screen the contacts, identifying children for prophylactic therapy. However, the target is difficult to meet due to issues within health facilities that cause health system diagnostic delays. Despite this, there is no information explored why health system diagnostic delays among tuberculosis patients. Method A qualitative study was conducted by using different data collection methods and sources. Seventeen DOT providers, five laboratory professionals, six program managers, and seven Tuberculosis patients were interviewed. In addition, 22 governmental health facilities were observed for the availability of resources. Data obtained from the in-depth interviews was transcribed, coded, categorized, and thematized manually. Result Health system Diagnosis delays reasons were related with sample collection procedures, poor competency of health professionals, in addition to absences or scarcity of health professionals, medical products, and basic infrastructure. We found 18 health facilities without skilled personnel in the OPD, 7 health facilities with a broken microscope, and almost all health facilities without a separate room for sputum examination. Furthermore, 12 (54.5%) and 14 (63.6%) health facilities lacked access to water and electric power, respectively. Conclusion Many reasons for TB diagnosis delays have been identified in the study area. Poor competence of health workers and scarcity of resources were identified. Depending on the finding, we suggest strengthening the health workers’ training. Concrete strategies need to be designed to retain professionals. Training on human resource planning and budget preparation is needed for front-line managers. Managers have to work on the maintenance of diagnostic tools and facilitate transportation. The rural health facilities need to use another alternative power source.