Clients` Satisfaction and Barriers towards Childhood Immunization Service in Primary Health Care Facilities in Tanta, Egypt

Aims: To assess the clients` satisfaction towards childhood immunization service ‎among parents having children aged less than 2 year in primary health ‎care settings, and to highlight barriers affecting client satisfaction with immunization ‎services in primary health care facilities‎.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Three primary health care facilities in Tanta Egypt; Said Health Care Center, Elragdia Health Care Unit, and Mahalet Rouh Health Care Unit, between March 2021 and April 2022.

Methodology: We included 400 clients coming to the primary health care facilities during the vaccination sessions of their children less than 2 years of age. Participants’ data were collected using a pre-designed interviewing validated questionnaire sheet through interview that assessed the sociodemographic data, knowledge, satisfaction, and barriers toward the childhood vaccination.

Results: In this study, the majority (87.8%) were recruited from Said Health Care Center. The clients, ages ranged from 19 to 70 years, with the highest percentage in the age group of 20 – <40 (78.3%). The clients’ knowledge score ranged from 1 to 9, with a median of 7 denoting an overall good knowledge. The highest percentage of clients in Said Health Care Center dissatisfied (78.9%) while the highest portion of clients in Elragdia Health Care Unit and Mahalet Rouh Health Care Unit satisfied (75% and 60%, respectively). The relation to child, level of education, health care facility, followed by marital status, income, residence, child sex, total knowledge score, and child age were found to be statistically significant predictors for the satisfaction, with P values of 0.002, 0.004, <0.001, 0.006, <0.001, <0.001, 0.01, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively.

Conclusion: An overall good knowledge as shown among caregivers attending for children vaccination. The least satisfaction rates were noted in the Urban Health Care Center. Clients’ knowledge beside some sociodemographic data significantly affected clients’ satisfaction.