PARENTAL SATISFACTION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS TOWARDS CARE GIVEN IN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AT REFERRAL HOSPITALS OF EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: Parental satisfaction is an important dimension of the quality of a child's care, which has been shown to improve their health outcomes, including adherence to therapeutic regimens and understanding medical information. While previous studies have been conducted in Ethiopia, there are still factors that have not been addressed, and little information is available on the magnitude and associated factors of parental satisfaction in the study area. Objective: This study aimed to determine the magnitude of parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive care and its associated factors among parents with neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units at referral hospitals in eastern Ethiopia from June to August 2023. Method:A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a systematic random sampling technique to select 418 parents whose newborns were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire through face-to-face interviews and chart/record reviews. The data were coded, entered into Epi-Data version 4.6, and transferred to SPSS version 25 for analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with parent satisfaction. Result: The magnitudes of parental satisfaction towards care given in neonatal intensive care unit was 50.5 %( 95%CI: 45.6-55.5). Being rural resident (AOR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.33-3.43), shorter hospital stay (AOR=4.25, 95% CI: 2.08-8.69), baby able to breast feed (AOR=2.46; 95% CI: 1.48- 4.09), having single birth (AOR=4.16; 95% CI: 1.91-9.03) and being satisfied with availability and quality of family room (AOR=2.36; 95% CI:1.40-3.99) were factors significantly associated with parent satisfaction toward care given in the neonatal intensive care unit. Conclusion: The study found that one in two parents were satisfied with the care given in neonatal intensive care units, which is relatively low compared to other studies. Factors such as rural residence, shorter hospital stay, baby able to breastfeeding, single birth, and availability and quality of the family room were associated with parental satisfaction towards care given in neonatal intensive care units. It is important to provide more attention to parents with related factors to improve their satisfaction with neonatal care units.