Pediatric Surgical Management Outcome and Associated Factors Among Children Admitted at Public Hospitals of Nekemte town, East Wollega, Oromia, Western Ethiopia, 2025: Retrospective Cross Sectional Study Design

Background: Surgery is often the only treatment that can lessen impairments and lower the chance of dying from common illnesses. According to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, 38% of surgical procedures were for children. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of the treated surgically treated cases is gradually increasing over time. To the level of our knowledge, the treatment outcome of pediatric surgical patient and its associated factors have not been adequately studied in the country. The main aim of this study was to assess the status of pediatric surgical management outcomes and associated factors among children admitted to public hospitals in Nekemte town, East Wollega, Oromia, Western Ethiopia, 2025. Methods: A health facility-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from May 19-June 19, 2025. Data were collected from a patient’s medical records and chart via preliminary data collection checklist adapted from different studies via a systematic sampling technique. Data were entered into Epi Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with Poor pediatric surgical management outcomes at a p-value < 0.05 with a 95 % confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 32 (10%) patients had poor pediatric surgical management outcome. Age <5 years (AOR: 4.31, 95% CI: 1.54-12.1), age 5-10 years (AOR: 4.006, 95% CI: 1.338-11.99), male sex (AOR: 4.113, 95% CI: 1.196-14.147), rural residence (AOR: 4.324, 95% CI: 2.022-9.246), ≥10 days to visit the hospital (AOR: 5.62 ,95% CI: 2.41-13.11), hospital stay for <1 month (AOR: 40.39, 95% CI: 11.44-142.6) and having previous medical conditions (AOR: 14.621, 95% CI: 2.099-101.85) were significantly associated factors Conclusions: The overall magnitude of poor pediatric surgical management outcomes was high. Creating community awareness or providing adequate health education to develop early healthcare-seeking behavior and promoting health professionals’ attitudes toward making patients’ hospital stays until good recovery is essential.