Parental Satisfaction and Barriers Affecting Immunization Services in Rural Communities: Evidence from North Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine barriers affecting client satisfaction with immunization services rendered in rural district, Ethiopia. A total of 419 caretakers who accessed the service were included and assessed for their satisfaction level using a pretested questionnaire that contained socioeconomic, demographic information, knowledge and various items related to process, service and accessibility factors on immunization service. The response rate was 99.3% and nearly two third of caretakers were satisfied with childhood immunization service. The majorities of caretakers were mothers and over three quarters had formal education. The highest mean rating score of 2.03 was observed in vaccine availability. The major determinants were related to low knowledge on vaccine preventable child illness; desire to vaccinate breastfeeding child and quality of care score. To maximize the benefits of vaccine preventable illnesses and improve the satisfaction levels, augmenting the knowledge of caretakers on vaccine preventable child illnesses and improving the quality of the service is crucial.