Background Short birth interval is known to have a negative effect on perinatal, neonatal and child health outcomes. In Ethiopia, 29% of births are short birth intervals at less than 24 months. Even though optimum birth spacing is considered as an essential factor for the health of women and their children, to the best of the authors’ knowledge studies conducted on short birth interval are insufficient to inform policy makers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess short birth interval and associated factors among women of child bearing age in Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Tselemti district among women of child bearing age from January 28 to February 28, 2016. Systematic sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected through face to face interviews and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Odds ratio along with 95% CI was computed to ascertain association between the outcome and predictor variables. A p -value of < 0.05 was considered as cut off point to assess significance of associations in the multivariable analysis. Results The overall prevalence of short birth interval among women of child bearing age was 187 (23.3%). Sub-optimum breastfeeding (AOR = 7.01; 95% CI: 3.64, 13.46), non-use of contraceptive (AOR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.55, 3.82), being Muslim (AOR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.20, 3.40) and not having desire to had the last child (AOR = 3.63; 95% CI: 2.23, 5.91) were factors associated with short birth interval. Conclusion Even though currently coverage of family planning use has increased, this study showed that short birth interval is still a concern for Ethiopian women due to factors such as: religion, suboptimum breastfeeding, unwanted pregnancy and non-use of contraceptives. Improving the accessibility and coverage of contraceptive use and involvement of religious leaders in family planning programs are essential strategies to be considered. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-019-0776-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundAmerican Nurses Association reflects, the role of the nurse in pain management encompasses the entire nursing process, assessment of pain, plans pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management strategies, implements the plan, and evaluates the response of the patient to the interventions. Pediatric pain management has been left largely unaddressed due to factors like limited resources, inadequate training, as well as cultural diversity and language barriers which made sick and injured children not to receive basic pain care. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and factors associated with pain management for hospitalized children among nurses.DesignInstitution based cross-sectional study was employed from a total of 261 nurses in Public Hospitals of Mekelle City from March 15 to April 15, 2015. Systematic random sampling method was used to get the study subjects. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The collected data was cleared, categorized, and coded. The cleaned data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20 software with statistical significance p < .05 at 95% CI. Descriptive statistics was employed. Binary logistic regressions were used to see relationship between dependent and independent variables.ResultsOut of 251 participants more than half (58.6%) of nurses had adequate knowledge and had good practice 140 (55.8%). Those respondents who said yes sedation interfering with pain assessment were 2.7 more likely knowledgeable on pain management for hospitalized children than others. In addition to this those nurses who said they had a specific pain management protocol in their institution were 2.159 more likely knowledgeable than others.ConclusionsMajority of nurses were knowledgeable on some of pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain managements. Most of the nurses had a good practice on children pain managements. Reading guide lines, specific protocols, knowledge, charting area for pain, sedation interfering with pain assessment and working in pediatric ward were some of the factors that were significantly associated with children’s pain management.

Background Timely initiation of antenatal care can avoid pregnancy related problems and save lives of mothers and babies. In developing nations, however, only half of the pregnant mothers receive the recommended number of antenatal care visits, and start late in their pregnancy. Thus, the study was conducted to assess the magnitude of timely initiation of antenatal care and factors associated with the timing of antenatal care attendance in Axum in which studies regarding this issue are lacking. Methods An institution based cross-sectional study mixed with qualitative approach was conducted. A total of 386 pregnant women were selected using systematic sampling technique for the quantitative study. In addition, 18 participants were selected purposively for the qualitative part. The quantitative data were collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaire while the qualitative data were collected using an open-ended interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 and the qualitative data were analyzed using Atlas software. Multi-variable logistic regression was used to control the effect of confounders. Results The magnitude of timely attendance of antenatal care was 27.5% (95% CI: 23–32%). Unintended pregnancy (AOR = 2.87; CI 95%: 1.23–6.70), maternal knowledge (AOR = 2.75; CI 95%: 1.07–7.03), educational status of the women (AOR = 2.62; CI 95%: 1.21–5.64), perceived timing of antenatal care (AOR = 3.45; CI 95%: 1.61–7.36), problem in current pregnancy (AOR = 3.56; CI 95%: 1.52–8.48) and advice from significant others (AOR =2.33; CI 95%: 1.10–4.94) were found significantly associated with timely booking of antenatal care. Conclusion The magnitude of timely attendance of antenatal care is low. Educational status, maternal knowledge, unintended pregnancy, problem in current pregnancy, perceived timing of antenatal care, and advise from significant others were the significant factors for timing of antenatal care. Therefore more effort should be done to increase the knowledge of mothers about importance of antenatal care and timely ante natal care booking.

Background Heart failure is a major public health issue for many countries in Sub-Saharan African which causes enormous public health relevance resulting in significant disability, loss of economic productivity, and poor health-related quality of life. Although there is a dated improvement in heart failure management, the morbidity and mortality remain unacceptably high, and a lot of patients are affected by debilitating symptoms which adversely influence their quality of life. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life and associated factors among adult patients with heart failure in tertiary hospitals, Tigray region, Ethiopia, 2020.Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 01-April 30, 2020. A simple random sampling method was used to enroll the 301 participants. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire-based interview. The health-related quality of life measuring tool was adapted from the medical outcomes study. Data was entered to and cleaned by Epi-Data manager version 4.4.2.1 and exported to a statistical package of social science version 22 for analysis. Binary logistic regression model (Adjusted Odds ratio, 95% Confidence Interval, and P-value < 0.05) was used to determine the factors that influence health-related quality of life.Results This study showed that 142(47.2%) patients had a poor health-related quality of life. The overall mean score of health-related quality of life was 61.7±20.5 among patients. Age above 60 years (AOR; 4.47, 95% CI; 1.87-10.68), no formal education (AOR; 3.45, 95% CI; 1.31-9.12), New-York Heart Association class-ɪᴠ (AOR; 6.50, 95% CI; 2.62-16.13) and the absence of social support (AOR; 2.52, 95% CI; 1.33-4.79) were significantly associated with poor health‐related quality of life.ConclusionsHealth-related quality of life among heart failure patients was poor for almost half of the participants. Patients with older age, no formal education, and higher New York Heart Association class need special attention in each follow-up evaluation. Furthermore, health professionals and governments should inform the benefit of social support to family members and friends who are involved in the care process among heart failure patients.