Assessment of routine health information utilization and its associated factors among Health Professionals in Public Health Centers of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

AbstractBackground: - A Routine Health Information System (RHIS) is referred to as the interaction between people, processes, and technology to support operations management in delivering information to improve healthcare services. Routine health information is likely to allow public health facility providers to document analyze and use the information to improve coverage, continuity, and quality of health care services. In Ethiopia, information use remains weak among health professionals. Besides, more have to be done on the utilization of routine health information among health professionals to strengthen and improve the health of the community at large. This study aimed to assess the level of routine health information use and identified determinants that affect health information use among health professionals. Method: Facility-based cross-sectional study design was used from March to April 2020 among 408 health professionals within 22 public health centers using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was collected using a Semi-structure questionnaire and an observational checklist. The data collected were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and transferred into SPSS version 20 for further statistical analysis. Stepwise regression was used to select the variable. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 for multiple logistic regression analysis were considered statistically significant factors for the utilization of RHIS. Result: In this study, Routine health information utilization rate among health professionals was 37.3% (95% CI: 32.6%, 42.1%). The findings also showed a significant positive association between routine health information utilization and health professionals who use of Both manual and computer-based files (AOR = 1.474, 95 % CI =1.043-2.082); Organizational rules, values, and practices (AOR = 1.734, 95 % CI =1.212-2.481); Human resource (AOR = 1.494, 95 % CI = 1.056-2.114); Had problem solving skill on HIS tasks (AOR = 2.091, 95 % CI = 1.343-3.256); Professional who believe that routine health information use is important (AOR = .665, 95 % CI = .501- .883); Planning and monitoring practice (AOR = 1.464 95% CI (1.006-2.131)) and Knowing duties and responsibilities (AOR = 1.525, 95 % CI = 1.121-2.073) Conclusion and Recommendations: Good health information utilization status of health professionals in Addis Ababa was low. Use of recording information; Organizational rules, values, and practices; Inadequate Human resource; Problem-solving skill of health professionals on HIS tasks; Professional who believe that routine health information use is important; the Collected information used for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of facility performance; and Staff know their duties and responsibilities in their workplace were found significantly associated with routine health information use. Thus, major improvements must be done in equipping health professionals to utilize the information they have by improving the above key findings/factors in the health care system. And, health professionals have to use routine health information for evidence-based decision-making in health facilities for a better quality of health care system implementation. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(SI-1):05-14] Keywords: Routine Health information Utilization, Health centers, Health professionals, Information Use, healthcare dat

Antenatal care utilization and nutrition counseling are strongly associated with infant and young child feeding knowledge among rural/semi-urban women in Harari region, Eastern Ethiopia

There is a gap in evidence linking antenatal care (ANC) utilization, nutrition counseling, and knowledge of pregnant women about infant and young child feeding (IYCF), particularly in low-income settings. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the association between ANC follow-up and nutrition counseling with IYCF knowledge. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 pregnant women in the rural kebeles of the Harari region from January to June 2019. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews on tablet computers. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were employed. An adjusted odds ratio (with 95% CI) was used to determine the strength of association between IYCF knowledge with ANC follow-up and nutrition counseling by adjusting for educational status, occupation, gravida, and distance to the nearest health center. Overall, 54.4% [95% CI 49.2, 59.2] of currently pregnant women were knowledgeable about IYCF of which only 20% started ANC follow-up and 24.4% received nutrition counseling. Out of 288 multigravida women, only 51.4% had ANC follow-up during their last pregnancy. In the adjusted model, ANC follow-up during the current pregnancy (AOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.07–3.22), those who received nutrition counseling (AOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.09–3.38), literate in education (AOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.07–2.73), multigravida (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.12–3.43), and far from the nearest health center (AOR 0.95, 95% CI 0.93–0.97) were significantly associated with the mothers IYCF knowledge. Thus, health care providers should encourage mothers to attend ANC during pregnancy and provide nutrition counseling about the IYCF