Time to Recovery from Severe Pneumonia and Its Predictors Among Children 2–59 Months of Age Admitted to Pediatric Ward of Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hossana, Ethiopia: Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Severe pneumonia is still the greatest infectious cause of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of five around the world. Each night spent in the hospital raises the chance of bad drug responses, infections, and ulcers by 0.5%, 1.6%, and 0.5%, respectively. In Southern Ethiopia, as well as the research area, little is known regarding death and recovery time from severe pneumonia and their determinants. OBJECTIVE: To determine time to recovery from severe pneumonia and its predictors among children 2–59 months of age admitted to pediatric ward of Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. METHODS: A facility-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among children 2–59 months of age. Three years’ medical records, from January 2017 to December 2020, were reviewed. A total of 280 children with severe pneumonia were included. In the case of survival time, median was calculated. Kaplan Meier survival curve was used to estimate recovery time from severe pneumonia, and the independent effects of covariates on recovery time were analyzed using multivariable Cox-proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The median time to recovery was 4 days (interquartile range = 3, 5). The incidence rate of recovery was 24.16 per 100 person-days. Underweight (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.38–0.80), age group 12–35 months (adjusted hazard ratio= 2.0, 95% CI=1.30–3.30), treatment with ampicillin and gentamicin (adjusted hazard ratio= 0.35, 95% CI: 0.13–0.80), and antibiotic change (adjusted hazard ratio= 0.34, 95% CI = 0.21–0.53) were statistically significant predictors of time to recovery from severe pneumonia. CONCLUSION: The median length of stay in the hospital was short (4 days [interquartile range =3, 5]). Time to recover from severe pneumonia was significantly influenced by being underweight, age, antibiotics administered first, and antibiotic change. Measures such as providing nutritious meals to children and ensuring that underweight children are properly managed should be bolstered.