Am J Med Public Health | Volume 1, Issue 2 | Research Article | Open Access

Health Professionals Perception and Satisfaction on Quality of Laboratory Malaria Diagnostic Service; the Case Awi Zone, North Ethiopia

Agajie Likie Bogale1*, Jemal Haidar Ali2, Aster Tsegaye3 and Fatuma Hassen3

1Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 3College of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

*Correspondance to: Agajie Likie Bogale 

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Abstract

Background: Inappropriate perception and inadequate satisfaction of health workers pose significant challenges on malaria diagnostic services in the fight against malaria. Such information however is a gap in most rural health facilities. Objective: The study assessed Health Professionals perception and their satisfaction towards malaria quality diagnostic service in Northern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional facility-based study was conducted in 2013 among 136 participants (110 clinicians and 26 laboratory professionals) engaged in malaria management. Level of perception and satisfaction was measured using a validated structured questionnaire. The structured data were entered using Epi-Info version 3.5.3 and analyzed by SPSS version 20. Result: About 61% (67/110) of the clinicians and 50% (13/26) of laboratory professionals were satisfied with the quality of work. Those clinicians who request laboratory malaria diagnosis based on sound clinical judgment were more satisfied (AOR=3.12, 95% CI = 1.06 to 9.13) than their counterparts while those who trust laboratory malaria diagnostic result as just reliable were 68.0% (AOR=0.32, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.83) less likely to be satisfied than the referent groups. Laboratory professionals with no limiting factors for laboratory diagnosis were 30.6 times (AOR=30.6, 95% CI = 1.83 to 511.8) more satisfied on the service compared with those who had constraints in their health facility. Conclusion: The level of health professional satisfaction in the current study was not encouraging and is lower than some previous studies focusing on general services in the country. Thus, targeting the identified limiting factors are crucial steps to consider in the fight against malaria. 

Keywords:

Health professional; Malaria; Awi zone; Ethiopia 

Citation:

Bogale AL, Ali JH, Tsegaye A, Hassen F. Health Professionals Perception and Satisfaction on Quality of Laboratory Malaria Diagnostic Service; the Case Awi Zone, North Ethiopia. Am J Med Public Health. 2020; 1(2): 1010.

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