Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)

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A Methodological Protocol for Evaluating District Hospital System Resilience in Ethiopia: A Time-Series Forecasting Model for Risk Reduction (2000–2026)

Selamawit Tesfaye, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa Yonas Tadesse, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) Tewodros Getachew, Department of Surgery, Debre Markos University Meklit Abebe, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18952412
Published: June 17, 2011

Abstract

{ "background": "District hospitals in Ethiopia face persistent systemic shocks from climate, conflict, and disease, yet a robust, quantitative methodology for forecasting their operational resilience and evaluating risk reduction interventions is lacking. Existing assessments are often cross-sectional and descriptive, failing to model temporal dynamics and forecast future system states under stress.", "purpose and objectives": "This protocol details a methodological framework for evaluating the resilience of district hospital systems through a time-series forecasting model. The primary objective is to develop and validate a model that forecasts key service capacity indicators, enabling the simulation of intervention impacts on risk reduction over a multi-year period.", "methodology": "We will employ a longitudinal, quantitative design using retrospective administrative data. The core analytical model is a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model, specified as $\\phi(B)\\Phi(B^s)\\nabla^d\\nablas^D yt = \\theta(B)\\Theta(B^s)\\epsilont$, where $yt$ represents a hospital output metric. Model parameters will be estimated via maximum likelihood, with forecast uncertainty quantified using 95% prediction intervals. The model will be used to simulate counterfactual scenarios for specific resilience-building interventions.", "findings": "As a research protocol, this paper does not present empirical results. However, the proposed methodology is designed to generate forecasts of hospital service outputs (e.g., monthly outpatient attendance). A key anticipated output is the simulated impact of a specific intervention, such as estimating the proportion of service degradation mitigated by a backup power supply during forecasted drought periods.", "conclusion": "This protocol establishes a novel, evidence-based methodological approach for proactively assessing and strengthening health system resilience. The forecasting framework moves beyond descriptive analysis to provide a tool for pre-emptive policy planning and resource allocation.", "recommendations": "We recommend the adoption of this time-series forecasting approach by health planners and researchers for routine resilience monitoring. Future work should integrate this model with early warning systems to enable dynamic, data-driven responses to emerging threats.", "key words":

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Selamawit Tesfaye, Yonas Tadesse, Tewodros Getachew, Meklit Abebe (2011). A Methodological Protocol for Evaluating District Hospital System Resilience in Ethiopia: A Time-Series Forecasting Model for Risk Reduction (2000–2026). African Food Systems Research (Interdisciplinary - incl Agri/Env), Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18952412

Keywords

Health systems researchSub-Saharan AfricaTime-series analysisRisk reductionDistrict hospitalsOperational resilienceForecasting model

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Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
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African Food Systems Research (Interdisciplinary - incl Agri/Env)

References