INTRODUCTION According to WHO, there are nearly 2 million stillbirths every year, one every 16 seconds. The objective of our study was to assess the frequency and associated factors of stillbirth among women who gave birth at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harar, eastern Ethiopia, 2021. METHODS An institution-based retrospective cross-sectional study of medical records was conducted among 336 women who gave birth from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. Maternal medical records were selected by systematic random sampling technique and a pre-tested checklist was used to collect data. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS-version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with stillbirth. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals are reported. RESULTS The frequency of stillbirth was 12.5% (95% CI: 8.1–14.6). Preterm delivery (AOR=8.10; 95% CI: 3.01–21.79), non-booking for antenatal care (AOR=2.8; 95% CI: 1.14–6.88), antepartum hemorrhage (AOR=3.16; 95% CI: 1.10–9.04), obstructed labor (AOR=2.56; 95% CI: 1.85–7.93) and eclampsia (AOR=2.84; 95% CI: 1.45–6.98) were found to be statistically significantly associated with stillbirth. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of stillbirth in this study was high. Prematurity, non-booking for antenatal care, ante-partum hemorrhage, obstructed labor and eclampsia were independently associated for stillbirth. Therefore, we recommend that the health professionals should better work on prevention of preterm birth, active emergency obstetrical and neonatal care by boosting focused antenatal care follow-up with health education on danger signs.

Background: College and University in the modern world are expected to seek and cultivate new knowledge, provide the right kind of leadership and strive to promote equality and social justice. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the satisfaction level of undergraduate students enrolled in regular program of Harar Health Science College and there by understand Harar Health Science College level of service quality perceived by the students. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 students of the college. The participants were selected using stratified random sampling technique. The data were collected through self-administered structured questionnaire. The data entry was done by Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 21. Results: The total of 356 study participants were involved in this study, with response rate of 92.7%. The total of 207 (58.1%) of respondents were studying on undergraduate (degree program). In terms of facility provision, 198 (55.9%) of the students were satisfied with supply of books and more than half of the students, 222 (62.7%) were satisfied with the suitability of library's opening hours and 254 (72.6%) and 284 (81.6%) were dissatisfied with the adequacy of computer facility. Majority, 224 (64.3%), and above half, 199 (57.1%) of the students were satisfied with teaching learning environment and variety of programs options respectively. Conclusion and recommendations: Majority of the students are satisfied with the current service status of the college except those related with computer and internet facilities. Therefore, supplying enough computer and internet services is recommended.

Background Husbands’ involvement strategies are employed to support their wives to access care, address the influence of gender inequality on maternal and newborn health, and promote husbands’ positive involvement as fathers. Yet, evidence of the husbands’ involvement in skilled birth attendant service utilization in Ethiopia is scarce, which limits the facility to improve institutional delivery services. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of husbands’ involvement in skilled birth attendant service utilization among fathers of children of less than one year in Deder town, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire among 399 fathers selected by a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interview from March 24 to April 20, 2021. Data entry was done by Epi-data version-4.2 and analyzed with SPSS version-21. Descriptive statistics used frequency, mean and median and presented by tables and figures. The level of significance was set at p-value ≤0.05 for multivariable logistic regression and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to measure the degree of statistical significance of dependent and independent variables. Result The prevalence of husbands’ involvement in skilled birth attendant service utilization was 84.2%. The age group of 25 to 29 years (AOR = 2.63, CI: 1.124–6.142), prior knowledge of skilled-delivery attendants (AOR = 2.75, CI: 1.456–5.205) and good attitude towards skilled birth attendants (AOR =2.46, CI: 1.227–4.948) were statistically significant determinants of husbands’ involvement in skilled birth attendants service utilization. Conclusion and recommendation This study revealed that the husbands’ involvement in skilled birth attendants was high. Age, level of knowledge and attitude were the significant determinants of husbands’ involvement in promoting skilled-delivery attendants. Therefore, improving husbands’ level of knowledge and attitude towards skilled birth attendants is needed.

Background Husbands’ involvement strategies are employed as a means to support their wives to access care, address the influence of gender inequality on maternal and newborn health and promote husbands positive involvement as fathers. Yet, evidence on the husbands’ involvement in promoting skilled-delivery attendants in Ethiopia is scarce which limits the facility to improve institutional delivery services. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the determinants of husbands’ involvement in promoting skilled-delivery attendants among fathers of children of less than one year in Deder town, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire among 399 fathers selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through face to face interview from March 24 to April 20, 2021. Data entry was done by Epi-data version-4.2 and analyzed with SPSS version-21. Descriptive analyses used frequency, mean and median and presented by tables and figures. Level of significance was set at p-value ≤ 0.05 for multivariable logistic regression and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure the degree of statistical significance of dependent and independent variables. Result The prevalence of husbands’ involvement in promoting skilled-delivery attendants was 84.2%. Age group of 25 to 29 years (AOR = 2.63, CI: 1.124–6.142), prior knowledge of skilled-delivery attendants (AOR = 2.75, CI: 1.456–5.205) and good attitude on skilled-delivery attendants (AOR = 2.46, CI: 1.227–4.948) were statistically significant determinants of husbands’ involvement in promoting skilled-delivery attendants. Conclusion and recommendation: This study revealed that the husbands’ involvement in skilled-delivery attendants was high. Age, level of knowledge and attitude were the significant determinants of husbands’ involvement in promoting skilled-delivery attendants. Therefore, improving husbands’ level of knowledge and attitude towards skilled-delivery attendants are needed.

This qualitative collective case study aimed to explore the perceptions and expectations towards relatively low performances in licensure exams among Health Sciences students at Harar Health Sciences College, from multiple perspectives. The study involved 15 participants, who were selected using purposive sampling, and data was collected through face-to-face one-on-one interviews using open-ended questionnaires and analyzed thematically. The study found that language barriers, poor reading habits, a lack of guidance and advisory services, a lack of study time, poor communication, and the absence of up-to-date learning materials were the major reasons for low performance in licensure examinations. The study recommends providing up-to-date materials, challenging assignments, focusing on professional courses from entry to the profession, and creating strong guidance, advisory, monitoring, and evaluation services to improve students' academic success. The study's findings highlight a knowledge gap and may serve as a basis for stakeholders to improve students' academic success. However, the study has limitations, such as its inability to generalize the findings to the source population, the absence of related published data, and the exclusion of other stakeholders such as parents and employers. The study recommends a mixed-method or follow-up study incorporating other stakeholders to yield better findings.