Abstract:
Background: Receipt of vaccination information is found to be important and helpful to parents for adherence to recommended immunization schedules. Health workers hostility and lack of counselling during immunization visits are common immunization barriers in Sub- Saharan region. Poor counselling and uncomfortable relationship with health care providers had been found to contribute to the drop out from immunization of children. There are scarce studies exploring the counseling on vaccines and satisfaction on counseling provided during immunization visits in Ethiopia.
Objectives: The primary objective of the study is to assess counseling on vaccines and the satisfaction of mothers on counselling provided during immunization services from May 1-30 in Gulelele sub city Public Health Centers, Addis Ababa, 2021.
Methods: This was a mixed-methods study employing quantitative and qualitative research methods that was conducted in public health centers in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using an observation checklist for the qualitative data and for the quantitative part an exit interview with a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used. The exit interview data were cleaned, coded and entered into EPI info version 7.2.1 and then transferred to SPSS for descriptive and bivariate analysis. The observation data was thematized and analyzed using Microsoft Excel.
Results: A total of 377 mothers who came for immunization visits of their child were included in the study with a response rate of 97.6%. Less than half (41.1%) mothers received complete counselling. More than half (54.38%) of mothers reported being satisfied with the counselling service they have received. Counselling on the possible side effects and what to do when the child feels sick was found to be independent predictors(AOR (95%CI: 1.749(1.027,2.981)) of satisfaction among mothers in this study. Qualitative observation of immunization sessions in health centers has shown that health care providers did not demonstrate any proactive respectful information provision that can motivate mothers’ immunization visits.
Conclusion: The immunization counselling services were inadequate and mothers’ satisfaction on counselling services was very low.
Recommendations: Conducting studies to identify effective interventions in improving counselling and communication on immunization services as well as to assess the perceptions and perspectives of health care providers and immunization program managers................... Thesis available at ACIPH Library