Maternal satisfaction on child immunization services of rural health extension workers in Dawie Harewa district, Northeast Ethiopia: A community based cross-sectional study

Abstract

The Ethiopian health extension program was established to enhance rural poor access and equity to health interventions, such as immunization programs. Client satisfaction with child immunization services is a clear measure of service quality and plays a vital role in improving immunization coverage and quality. Thus, the goal of this study was to analyze client satisfaction with rural health extension workers' child vaccination services and associated characteristics in Dawie Harewa District, North East Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among mothers and caregivers of children who received immunization services from March 5–20, 2016. The data was collected from 722 mothers through a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Epi.info version 7 was used to enter the data, and SPSS version 20.0 was used to analyze it. To identify factors that influence mothers' satisfaction with immunization services, logistic regression analyses were employed. The degree of relationship between the independent and dependent variables was determined using an odds ratio with a 95 percent confidence interval, with a P-value of 0.05 considered statistically significant. The majority of mothers (84.68%) were happy with the child immunization services provided by health extension workers (HEWs). Mothers with good knowledge (AOR=3.31; 95% CI: 1.67–6.56), a positive attitude (AOR=7.56; 95% CI: 3.12–16.90), and whose homes were visited by HEWs (AOR=2.98; 95%CI: 1.83–4.85) were more likely than their counterparts to be satisfied with child immunization services. Majority of the respondents were satisfied with the services provided by HEWs. The level of knowledge and attitude of mothers, as well as the health extension workers' habit of visiting clients at home, were found to be the most important factors in determining client satisfaction with the vaccination program. Improved client knowledge, ongoing follow-up, and increased HEW home visits are all essential elements in boosting customer satisfaction.