Evaluation of Saving Lives through Safe Surgery (SaLTS) initiative implementation in Public Hospitals of Kambata Tembaro Zone, Southern Ethiopia

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.