The Trends of Time to Recovery Pneumonia Hospitalized Patients in Northwestern Ethiopia During 2018–2020: Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background and Aims

Pneumonia continues to be a leading cause of illness and death among children under five worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumonia is responsible for approximately 14% of all deaths among children under 5 years of age, resulting in over 740,000 fatalities annually. In Ethiopia, pneumonia represents the leading infectious cause of death within this demographic. The objective of this study was to determine factors that affect time to recovery pneumonia hospitalized outpatients.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted at a hospital, gathering data from patient records between September 2018 and September 2020. The data was analyzed using STATA version 14.2 and R 3.4.0 software. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve and log-rank tests were utilized to assess survival times, while the assumptions and fit of the Cox proportional hazards model were evaluated.

Result

An accelerated factor (γ) was utilized, accompanied by a 95% confidence interval, with a p-value of under 0.05 signifying a statistically significant association. The median recovery time overall was 5 days, with a 95% confidence interval of 4 to 6 days. Being insured ($\gamma$ = 0.904; 95% CI (0.845–0.967)) and treatment type taken at the time of diagnosis ceftriaxone, ampicillin and combined ($\gamma =$ 0.833; 95% CI (0.810–0.92), $\gamma =$ 0.842; 95% CI (0.759–0.933) and $\gamma =$ 0.912; 95% CI (0.842–0.986) respectively) were significant predictors for shorten the timing of recovery and Time elapsed to seek care ($\gamma =1.256$; 95% CI (1.237–1.274)) were longer recovery time.

Conclusions

Children with pneumonia recover faster when their parents are insured and use of ceftriaxone, ampicillin, and combined as treatment at the time of diagnosis and Time elapsed to seek care were significant predictors for prolonged timing of recovery. Therefore, there is a need to focus especially on children with known predictors of pneumonitis in children and parents or when children become ill, caregivers should transport them right away to a medical facility.