NOTIFIABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE PRACTICE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG HEALTH WORKERS IN HARARI REGION, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Background: Public health surveillance is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data. Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response is now a part of Health Management Information System which comprises databases, personnel including Health professionals, and materials that are organized to collect the data that will be utilized for planning and informed decision making. Though strong surveillance system relies on good practices health care providers, though the surveillance system relies on health workers, evidence on NDS practice and associated factors among health care workers in low-income countries like Ethiopia is very limited. Objective: To assess notifiable disease surveillance practice and associated factors among health workers in Harari region. Methods and materials: A cross sectional study design was used among randomly selected 428 health workers in selected health facilitiesfrom April 1-15, 2017.Data were collected using structured pretested self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the data using frequencies, proportions, and numerical summary measures bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between outcome variable and each explanatory variables. Data was analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 and level of significance was at p ≤ 0.05. Result Notifiable disease surveillance was practiced by 46 %, 95%CI: (41%, 50%) of health workers. Being knowledgeable about Notifiable Disease Surveillance [(AOR=2.02; 95% CI: (1.21-3.38)], Training on Notifiable Disease Surveillance [(AOR=8.56; 95% CI :( 4.24-17.26)], and availability of reporting format of Notifiable Disease Surveillance [(AOR=4.41; 95% CI: (2.54-7.66)] were significantly associated with notifiable disease surveillance practice among health workers. Conclusion In conclusion, about half of the respondents working in Harari region have no notifiable disease reporting practice. The main factors associated with non-reporting practice of notifiable disease surveillance were knowledge about notifiable disease surveillance, training and availability of reporting format. It is recommended that Harari regional health bureau should provide training and avail reporting format for facilities to strengthen notifiable disease surveillance practice.