Exploration of facilitators and barriers to completion of immunization schedule of the under one year infants among care takers in Buikwe district.

Abstract

Background: Incomplete immunization of the under one year infants is a public health concern in Uganda. Unimmunized and incomplete immunization schedule of infants increase morbidity and mortality rate among infants. Objective: To explore facilitators and barriers to completion of the immunization schedule of infants under one year and to find suggestions to completion among care takers from Kavule Sub- County in, Buikwe. Methods: This was a qualitative phenomenological study that employed to explore in-depth interviews of purposively chosen 24 parents and care takers. Interviews results were transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually by thematic analysis. Results: Three categories namely; the facilitators, barriers and suggestions. Facilitators’ categories included knowledge updates of participants and factors that motivated participants (motivators) to immunization completion. Barriers to immunization completion were mainly socio cultural influences, access to immunization, health system service barriers, misunderstanding and fears, plus gender power relations. Health care workers; start immunizing late around nine o’clock and leave early. At times care takers and parents have to travel long journeys, climbing hills while carrying babies. When it rains the roads are impassable. Governance of immunization services is complex involving multiple levels interactions, influence by different contexts, communication, logistics, financial and human resources. Suggestions to improve immunization completion peer (role model) parents and care takers, movement of nurses or health care providers from house to house(nurse-parent interaction), and reminders by public address system about immunization dates, time and places where immunization is to take place. Conclusion: The most common barriers from this study were categorized under health system barriers, misconception and fears and social cultural. While the facilitators were sub categorized as motivators and knowledge up dates.