Effectiveness and Feasibility of Using Local Medical Universities for Capacity Building to Improve the Immunization Program in Ethiopia: Quasi-Experimental Study

INTRODUCTION: Supportive supervision is one of the five essential components of the WHO’s Reaching Every District (RED) strategy. However, it is generally not practiced based on the standard schedule because of capacity and low number of staff in the health system. Thus, this study aimed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a capacity building and mentorship program in immunization by health science colleges to supplement the existing approach. METHODS: This study applied a pre-post quasi-experimental research design. The study included health workers of 30 health facilities (15 intervention and 15 control) followed for six months. A total of 90 health workers were included. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention package on immunization coverage and a change in RED strategy implementation over time, difference in difference (DID) analysis was used. Finally, a RE-AIM framework was used to evaluate the implementation process. RESULTS: The study indicated that the intervention package has a significant effect (P = 0.0001) on the overall implementation of RED outcomes. The DID analysis also indicated that health facilities in the intervention district have shown a higher Penta III coverage (17.4%) and complete vaccination coverage (16.6%) that are attributable to the intervention package. Similarly, knowledge and skills of health workers improved significantly (P < 0.05) after the intervention. The key informants also mentioned that the new approach was effective and acceptable. CONCLUSION: The newly introduced capacity building and mentorship program by well-trained personnel of medical universities had positive effects on the immunization program. Thus, it is recommended to facilitate policy adoption and readiness for routine use at large scale.