IJCA - Volume 3 - Flipbook - Page 25
2024 | Volume 3, Issue 1
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The study was conducted after obtaining ethical
clearance from the department research and
ethical review committee of Addis Ababa University,
College of Health Sciences, with a protocol
number of DRERC/037/21/MLS. A formal letter of
cooperation was secured from the Ethiopian National
Accreditation O昀케ce and sent to the concerned
accredited healthcare facilities in Ethiopia. The
general objective and signi昀椀cance of the study
were communicated to the administrators of these
facilities through an o昀케cial letter.
Oral consent was obtained from study participants
after explaining the aim of the study and their
rights during data collection. Given that the study
institutions are scattered, data was collected via
email, a method approved by the research and
ethical committee. A coding system was used to
maintain con昀椀dentiality while identifying each study
participant’s results.
facilities. Regarding responsibility hierarchy of the
health facilities, 26 (56.5%) were responsible to the
Ministry of Health, 19 (41.3%) to the regional health
bureau, and the remaining one (2.2%) to the zonal
health bureau, as detailed in Table 1.
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of the study area of
public and private health facilities (n=46), Ethiopia, 2021
VARIABLES
FREQUENCY
PERCENT
Among the total accredited health facilities in this
study, 36 (78.3%) were government-owned, and 10
(21.7%) were privately owned. The service years of
the health facilities after establishment ranged from
昀椀ve to 10 years for 12 facilities, 11 to 15 years for 11
facilities, and more than 15 years for 23 facilities.
The majority of the health facilities, 17 (37.0%),
were general hospitals, followed by public health
institutes, 12 (26.1%). The other organizational
levels included six comprehensive hospital, four
primary hospitals, three specialized hospitals, three
diagnostic laboratories, and one health center. The
number of employees in these organizations ranged
from four to 10 employees for four facilities, 11 to
20 employees for 12 facilities, 21 to 30 employees
for 11 facilities, and more than 30 employees for 19
DEMOGRAPHIC
ITEM
36
78.3
10
21.7
Total
46
100
Service
years of the
organization
since established
6-10
12
26.1
11-15
11
23.9
>15
23
50.0
Total
46
100
Facility type
Health center
1
2.2
Primary hospital
4
8.7
General hospital
17
37.0
Comprehensive
hospital
6
13.0
Specialized
hospital
3
6.5
Public health
12
26.1
Diagnostic lab
3
6.7
Total
46
100
4-10
4
8.7
11-20
12
26.1
Type of
Public
organization Private
RESULTS
Background information of the study area
Data was collected from 46 government and private
health facility laboratories; of these, 22 laboratories
were in Addis Ababa, while the remaining 24 were in
various towns across different regions. According
to the study, the Ethiopian National Accreditation
O昀케ce (ENAO) categorized these laboratories as wellutilized, terminated, suspended, or withdrawn. Of the
46 laboratories, 38 had well-utilized accreditation,
one had been terminated, three had been suspended,
and four had withdrawn. Most of the accredited
laboratories included in this study were accredited in
the scope of GeneXpert.
23
No. of
laboratory
employees
21-30
11
23.9
>30
19
41.3
Total
46
100
26
56.5
R. health bureau
19
41.3
Zonal health
o昀케ce
1
2.2
Total
46
100
Responsible Ministry of
to
health
Background characteristics of the respondents
The study population exhibited varying demographic
and background characteristics, including sex, age,
educational level, length of service, and position.
A total of 254 laboratory professionals and 22
other health professionals—medical directors/chief
executives/director generals (MD/CEO/DG) were
included in this study. Out of 282 questionnaires
distributed, 276 were completed and returned,
resulting in a response rate of 97.8%.
