Methodological Assessment of Quasi-Experimental Designs in Rural Clinics Systems in Ethiopia: An Analysis

The quality of healthcare delivery in rural clinics in Ethiopia is often influenced by quasi-experimental designs due to logistical and ethical constraints. The analysis employs a meta-regression model with robust standard errors to assess the impact of various quasi-experimental designs on clinical performance metrics across different rural clinics in Ethiopia. Findings indicate that while some designs show significant improvements in patient outcomes, others exhibit substantial variability, suggesting the need for standardised protocols and quality control measures. The analysis underscores the critical role of methodological consistency in ensuring reliable clinical performance data from quasi-experimental studies conducted in rural healthcare systems. We recommend implementing a harmonized approach to quasi-experimental designs to enhance reproducibility and comparability across similar studies, thereby improving the overall quality of evidence-based healthcare delivery. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.