Pediatrics

Assessment of outcome of nosocomial infections and associated factors among pediatric patients admitted at JUMC, Ethiopia

2026-02-25T09:25:53Z

Assessment of outcome of nosocomial infections and associated factors among pediatric patients admitted at JUMC, Ethiopia Halima Aminu; Hunde Ahmed Background: Nosocomial infections are infections that occur in patients during their hospital stay and were not present or incubating at the time of admission. Typically, these infections develop 48 hours after hospital admission and can appear up to seven days after discharge. NI represent a significant threat to patient safety, often resulting in prolonged hospital stays, long term health complications, increased resistance to antimicrobial drugs, and a greater risk of mortality. Furthermore, they contribute to a substantial financial burden on healthcare systems and impose significant emotional and economic stress on patients and their families. Globally, hundreds of millions of people every year are affected by NIs, many of which are completely avoidable. No country or health system, even the most developed or sophisticated, can claim to be free of NIs. Objective: To assess the outcome of nosocomial infections and associated factors among pediatric patients admitted at JUMC, Jimma, Ethiopia Methods: An institution-based longitudinal study design was conducted on pediatric patients with nosocomial infections from Nov, 2024 to Nov , 2025.Data were collected by using structured questionnaire the collected data was entered into Epi Data 3.1 and exported to SPSS (statistical package for social sciences) version 25.0 for further analysis. Descriptive analysis as well as bivariate and multi-variable logistic regression analyses was conducted. Statistical significance was considered at p-values <0.05 and 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Results are presented as narratives and using tables and figures. Result: A total of 282 patients diagnosed with NI were included in the study. More than half of them were male 158(56%), with mean age of 2.1 ± (SD=1.1years ) Most children were admitted to the General Ward (41.7%) and the Oncology Ward (31.9%), followed by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (19.4%).Most common type of Nosocomial infection among pediatric patient was blood stream infection observed in 208 (73.8%), and followed by pneumonia in 42(14.95%). A majority of the children (68.2%) had co-morbid diseases and 266(94.3%) were non-reactive for Serostatus.A total of 165 clinical samples were taken for culture and 40(24.4%) microorganism were identified. About 12(30%) organism were pseudomonas and CONS 11(27.5%) were isolated and drug sensitivity was observed to meropenium ,Vancomycin followed by Amikacin.Patients infected with Pseudomonas were about two times more likely to have an unfavorable outcome compared to those infected with other organisms(AOR=2.12;CI=1.07-4.02,P=0.032). Conclusion and recommendation: The overall findings revealed that bloodstream infections (clinical or bacteriological) were the predominant type of hospital-acquired infection and a significant number of patients had underlying comorbidity.The most isolated organism are Gram-negative organisms which is pseudomonas followed by CONS.Most children were improved and discharged with the poorer out come associated with gram -negative infections.The high resistance observed to commonly used antibiotics, particularly cephalosporins, highlights the need for periodic review and updating of empirical treatment protocols

Knowledge, attitude and practice of kangaro mother care and Associated factors among health care professionals working in Nicu, jumc, jimma ,southwest Ethiopia

2025-10-13T09:48:36Z

Knowledge, attitude and practice of kangaro mother care and Associated factors among health care professionals working in Nicu, jumc, jimma ,southwest Ethiopia Haile Onado; Aneso Mohammed Background: KMC is a method invented by Dr. Rey in 1978 and developed by Dr. Martinez and Dr. Navarrete until 1994 defined as an early, uninterrupted, and prolonged skin–to–skin contact between mother and until the baby doesn’t remain in that position and the only breast nourishes child. Various works of literature also reported KMC as cost-effective intervention in reducing mortality and morbidity of preterm infants as well as affecting maternal health positively in low, middle, and high-income countries. Most studies on KAP of KMC focused on the perspective of preterm infant parents, while neglecting the perspective of healthcare providers, who played a critical role in guiding KMC practice. So, this study aimed to explore knowledge, attitude and practice of kangaroo mother care among health care providers in NICU. Objective: This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of kangaroo mother care among health care professionals working in NICU, JUMC, Jimma, southwest Ethiopia. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among health care professional’s working in NICU, JUMC, Jimma, southwest Ethiopia from September 20, 2024 to December 20, 2024. 100 Study participants were selected by using stratified random sampling method. Data was collected using pretested structured self-administered questionnaires prepared in English language divided to 4 sub-sections Sociodemographic, knowledge, and attitude and practice part. Collected data was entered into EpiData 3.1 analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive analysis was performed and ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to find out the association of independent variables. Statistical significance was considered at a p-value of less than 0.05. Results: A total of 99 participants were included in the study making response rate of 99%. Majority 94% had good knowledge, while 6% had a medium knowledge. Regarding overall attitude majority 72 % had positive attitude, while 25% showed a medium attitude and 4% had negative attitude towards KMC. In respect to practice 39% participants had good practice, 46% participants had medium practice and 14% had poor practice. Being BSC nurse, neonatal nurse, medical intern and work experience less than five years is negatively associated with knowledge towards KMC (p=.0, 001,001,0.002 and 0.003 respectively). Having work experience of less than 5 years is strongly associated with poor practice towards KMC (P=0.001) iv Conclusion and recommendation: From the above results, it is apparent that knowledge, attitude and practice among health-care professionals, is optimum. However, there are lots of gaps to be filled, especially practice related needs trainings and further interventional studies are recommended.

Treatment outcomes and associated factors of pediatric Epilepsy at jimma medical center, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional Study

2025-10-13T09:13:59Z

Treatment outcomes and associated factors of pediatric Epilepsy at jimma medical center, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional Study Getu Tefera; Asaye W; Lense SH Background: Epilepsy is among the most common neurological disorders and is highly treatable with currently available antiepileptic drugs at a reasonable cost. In Ethiopia, although several studies have revealed a high prevalence of epilepsy, little is known about the predictors of poorly controlled seizures. Thus, this study aimed to assess epilepsy treatment outcomes and associated factors among patients with epilepsy on follow-up at the ambulatory care unit of Jimma University Medical Center (JMC). Objective: To assess treatment outcomes and associated factors of epilepsy among pediatric patients on follow-up at JMC, Jimma, Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among all children with epilepsy attending the pediatric neurology clinic of JMC. The study was conducted from October 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025. The total sample size was 170. Participants were selected using a systematic random sampling method, and data were collected using structured questionnaires through Kobo Toolbox. The collected data were exported to Stata/MP 17 for analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the outcome variables. Statistical significance was considered at a *p*-value of less than 0.05. Result: Overall, 170 child-caregiver pairs were successfully interviewed. Notably, 40.6% of the children were in the 6–10-year age group. The majority of pediatric epilepsy patients (88.2%) exhibited generalized tonic-clonic seizures, with rare instances of absence, focal unaware, or myoclonic seizures (<4% each). The study revealed that 65.3% (*n* = 111) achieved controlled seizures, while 34.7% (*n* = 59) remained uncontrolled. Conclusion: This study highlights that 65.3% of pediatric epilepsy patients at Jimma Medical Center achieved seizure control, while 34.7% remained uncontrolled, indicating gaps in care. Key barriers included non-adherence to medication, Drug shortages, transportation challenges, limited diagnostic tools, and comorbidities such as cerebral palsy. Recommendation: To improve outcomes, I recommend expanding access to EEG and neuroimaging, enhancing caregiver education, and integrating epilepsy care into primary health systems

Pattern of ocular morbidity in children admitted with Severe acute malnutrition at jimma university medical Center departement of pediatrics, south west Ethiopia

2025-10-09T09:42:28Z

Pattern of ocular morbidity in children admitted with Severe acute malnutrition at jimma university medical Center departement of pediatrics, south west Ethiopia Fejiri Mohammed; Kumale Tolesa; Wolela Mulatu; Sagni Jelkeba Background: The World Health Organization defined malnutrition as a cellular imbalance between the supply of nutrients and energy and the body's demand for them to ensure growth maintenance and specific functions. Ocular involvement is relatively common in malnourished children, and the consequences of malnutrition on the eye are frequently more severe during the formative years of life. This is a significant cause of avoidable blindness that has to be addressed with affordable methods. The World Health Organization (estimates that vitamin A deficiency alone is responsible for 250,000 to 500,000 children becoming blind every year, with half of these children dying within 12 months of losing their sight. The prevalence of ocular morbidities among severely malnourished children varies across regions. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where the burden of malnutrition is highest, ocular complications are more prevalent due to inadequate intake of micronutrients, limited access to healthcare, and high rates of infectious diseases. Studies have shown that up to 50% of children with severe acute malnutrition may develop some form of ocular pathology, with xerophthalmia being the most common. Aim: To determine the pattern of ocular morbidity in children admitted with severe acute malnutrition at Jimma Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 1, 2024, to January 30, 2025, at JUMC. A total of 91 children aged 6 months to 5 years with SAM were enrolled. Data were collected using a pretested, structured questionnaire administered to parents or caregivers. A complete ocular examination was carried out by trained ophthalmology residents, using tools such as a portable slit lamp, torch, and indirect ophthalmoscope. Data were recorded using Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the data, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify factors that were associated with ocular morbidity. Statistical significance was defined by a p-value of <0.05. Results: The prevalence of ocular morbidity among children with SAM was 33%. The most commonly identified ocular morbidities were blepharitis (43.3%), and conjunctivitis (26.7%). 20% of the patients were having sign of vitamin A deficiency. Abnormalities of the posterior segment were rare and were observed in only 2cases (6.6%), which is papilledema and retinal hemorrhages. Sociodemographic factors that were significantly associated with ocular morbidity were younger age less than two years is 6 times more likely to have ocular morbidities. p = .026, and those children who have 3 or more siblings had more likely to have ocular morbidities. AOR= 15.087, 95%CI (3.243, 70.199) 0.001