Abstract:
Background: The Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative is designed to implement safe surgical
procedures and patient safety best practices to reduce the incidence of adverse events both in the
operating room and in the ward. There was inadequate use of surgical safety checklists; inadequate
implementation of anesthesia safety; poor communication between care provider and client; and
scarcity of resources. Those things lead to patients' dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to
assess the level of implementation of the SaLTS initiative by identifying gaps in resource
availability and healthcare providers’ compliance with standards.
Objective: To assess saving lives through safe surgery initiative implementation and patient
satisfaction in public hospitals of Kambata Tembaro zone, southern Ethiopia 2022.
Methods: The facility-based single Case study design with mixed-method was used. A formative
evaluation approach was employed. The focus was process evaluation with the intermediate
outcome, dimensions of availability, compliance, and satisfaction employed. Five hospitals'
resource inventories were conducted. 120 client-provider interactions, 120 clients’ charts, one year
selected documents and 19 key informants were included. A total of 312 surgically admitted clients
were included by consecutive sampling technique. Simple and multivariable linear regression
analysis techniques were used. Qualitative data analyzed manually and presented as triangulation
with the quantitative results. The overall implementation of the service was determined based on
judgmental criteria.
Results: The evaluation finding shows that the overall implementation service of the SaLTS
initiative was partially implemented (68.0%) based on judgment parameter. The availability of
resources was poorly available (60.33%) and compliance of health care providers was partially
implemented (71.62%). Besides of that, the overall patient satisfaction mean score with SaLTS
services among patients who were admitted and had surgery was partially satisfied (72.06%). In
this study educational status, admission ward, patient status during discharge, and service payment
were independent predictors of patient satisfaction with SaLTS service.
Conclusion and Recommendation: The overall level of implementation of the SaLTS service
was partially implemented in Kambata Tembaro zone hospitals. Surgical healthcare providers
should be trained. Guidelines, medical supply support and regular supportive supervision is
needed.
